Highbury News July 2011

HighburyCongregational Church

Oxford Street. Cheltenham. GL52 6DU

www.highburychurch.co.uk

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Highbury News - 2 - July 2011

Deadline for August Highbury News: Sunday 10th July

Highbury Congregational Church belongs tothe Congregational Federation and is in partnership with

the Council for World Mission and Churches Together

Highbury News costs £16 per annum or £19 by post

Contact: 01242 522050Email: [email protected]

... to a very special lunch!On Sunday 17th July we will be sayingfarewell to Becky after her three and ahalf years with us as Pastoral Assistant.After the Sunday morning service wewill be having a bring and share lunch,and it would be great to see as manypeople there as possible!One of the many things Becky hasintroduced to Highbury is somethingwe heard about three or four years agoat a South West Midlands Assembly inSoutham. Messy Church.It’s a fresh expression of worship atchurch that aims to bring all agestogether in a setting that’s welcomingto people not used to going to church.

Do come along to our Church Meetingon Thursday 7th July to find out moreabout the thinking behind MessyChurch.And then come along to the next of ourMessy Church gatherings on Tuesday12th July. Although it’s the lastTransformers session of the term, it isvery much open to everyone to comealong, and take the opportunity tomeet with families of the youngsters atTransformers, and many others too.And don’t forget the Picnic in PittvillePark (meet near the band stand) onSunday 3rd July after the morningservice. It should be a fun time foreveryone.

Richard Cleaves

An invitation ...


Déjà VueWe actually heard it said!And it wasn’t said as a joke!But it was a football commentary.“It’s déjà vue all over again!’And this time it’s happened atHighbury.It really is déjà vue all over again.Back in 1966 something specialhappened in the world of football, butI won’t go into that.That year Eric Burton arrived atHighbury.Eric joined us after working for theyouth and children’s department of thethen Congregational Union of Englandand Wales. As he arrived inCheltenham in 1966 he laid out hisvision for the church in a book that stillmakes a very lively read,

By the time he moved on in1977 Eric had put into practice thethinking he had set out in his book ashe arrived. Indeed, even now, you cansee much of the ethos of Highbury asyou read that book.Unbelievably, we appointed Beckythree and a half years ago, and shehas been with us as our PastoralAssistant since Easter 2008.Becky had been very involved with CFYouth for many years, and had latterlybeen their Manager. Immediatelybefore joining Highbury Becky hadworked from 2005 to 2007 as ProjectWorker at the Youth and Children’sOffice of the Congregational

Federation. That work had takenBecky all over the country visitingchurches, supporting children’s andyouth work in all sorts of differentways.The idea was that she would then beable to write up all her experiencesand share them with the churches ofthe Congregational Federation.As Becky joined us her book waspublished by the CongregationalFederation.

stillmakes a lively read.What’s fascinating is that it doesn’tonly make a good read!As Becky now moves on it is quicklyapparent from reading that bookagain that Becky has put into practicethe thinking she had set out in herbook as she arrived. Indeed, you cansee much of the ethos of Highbury asyou read that book.At the very beginning of her bookBecky asks why we should work withyouth and children.She sets out just some of the manyreasons there are for doing that kindof work.

Minister’s Memo


Over the last three and a half yearsBecky has introduced a lot of things toHighbury and done an immenseamount of work, not only among ourfamilies and children, but in the widerchurch family too.One of the very first things she did wasto sit with us and work out the ways inwhich we could develop our work withchildren and families more effectively.That time of reflection and planningwas very important. Then came anumber of initiatives that Becky hasshared with us.She has got Transformers off theground in a partnership with St Luke’s,and that has given us the opportunityto develop and build on our HolidayClub work.Becky has helped us to set up SundaySpecial and develop what we do withchildren in church on a Sunday.The Community Focus group was a keyinitiative that Becky encouraged us totake, and that has led to the first of our

Parents’ Fairs, the Community Caféand our monthly lunches.We now have a welcome brochureand leaflets that give people aninsight into the life of the church atHighbury.One of the first things Becky did wasto help us focus on prayer. The notesfor the course on prayer that shehelped to share with us are still on theChurch Web site. The ‘hours’ ofprayer we have had at Christmas andEaster have been very special.Perhaps one of the most importantthings Becky has shared with us is theway she has encouraged us to thinkafresh about children and the voicethey have in church.The older youngsters come back intochurch to share in the Lord’s Supperevery other month now. We havebegun to build up the work with thoseolder young people starting a newgroup, M’Ocean, and building bridgesinto Hy-Tec.The news sheet, that Becky she hascirculated, has not only kept childrenand families informed of what’s goingon in the church, but also givenparents an insight into the themesthat the children are looking at inJunior Church.It was that need to think again aboutthe way we value children in theirown right that prompted Becky toencourage us to be among the firstchurches in the CongregationalFederation to receive the ChildFriendly Award.I have very much valued workingclosely with Becky and building up a


very strong sense of sharing in a teamministry. There are many other thingsthat Becky has shared with us thateveryone will be able to think of.Thanks to Becky we have been able toput in place plans to take forward thework that she has initiated. It will bemore narrowly focused as CarolynTennant takes up a part timeappointment as a Children’s Worker.I very much hope that you will be ableto join us on Sunday 17th July and saythank you to Becky, and as we have aBring and Share lunch after themorning service - be sure to make anote of the date in your diary!It’s my hope and prayer that we shallbe able to build on the work thatBecky has done, and that the way ofthinking she worked out in

and has introduced us to inHighbury can be embedded in the lifeof the church into the future.Becky is very much in our prayers tooas she makes plans for the futureahead of her - may it be full of God’srich blessing, wherever that futuretakes her.In those introductory comments to herbook, Becky said some words that wecan take to heart as we all look to thefuture that lies ahead.

“When helping churches I have keptone verse in my head - Philippians4:13 I can do all things throughChrist who gives me strength.At the end of her introduction Beckyasks “What could you do?”The very first of her suggestions isthe one we need very much to taketo heart.“Pray on Ephesians 3:20-21 andask God to show you what hewants you to do.”On the back cover you can read thatprayer in the words of the AuthorisedVersion. Let me share that sameprayer in the words of the Message.

Every blessing,Richard Cleaves

Christian AidThank you to everyone who helped to raise £1201.42 for Christian Aid

in the recent door to door collection.All but one street was covered in the Highbury area so this was fantastic.

Thank you to all who collected and helped in the counting.What a busy place Highbury is on a Monday morning!

Laura and Iain MacLeod


From the Pastoral Assistant

So this is it … well almost, I still have acouple of weeks left here at Highburyso this is my penultimate Newsletterpiece.And there are still things going on!On Tuesday 12th July we have anotherMessy Church. Over the last couple ofterms we have covered Moses atTransformers, and then did the prequelto the story ... Joseph (bringing in alittle of the music from the West Endmusical). So, our final TransformersMessy Church for the school year willbe on the theme of Joseph and will bean Egyptian evening. For those whohave no idea what happens at MessyChurch then let me share a little withyou. It is a form of worship thatinvolves singing, prayers, eating andworking on crafts and things. Part ofworship is to be Christians, spendingtime with other people, and that isdefinitely something we do at MessyChurch.At our summer Messy Church we hadpeople from lots of different groupsthat meet in our building. There wereScouts, Guides, Brownies, Cubs,Beavers, Toddler families, Transformerchildren and some of our regularSunday morning families. It was agreat expression of sharing together ina relaxed atmosphere but celebratingJesus and one of his seaside stories inparticular – The Wise and FoolishHouse Builders. Sometimes you havethose moments that stay with youthroughout the week, when work isdifficult, and for me several of thesemoments happen at Messy Church. At

the summer Messy Church those‘moments’ included putting together aprayer wall with one of the Brownies,and seeing some of our weeklyTransformers children who I only seeon Tuesdays enjoying the worshipsongs and smiling away with theirfriends. Messy Church is more thanjust another activity for children, upand down the country Messy Churchis a way of meeting new people,making friends and being loving,caring churches in the localcommunity.A lot of talk of being a ‘seen church’ inthe community is meeting peoplewhere they are at, not hiding yourbeliefs but saying this is who I am,that is who you are, let’s meet andjust spend time together. The greatthing about Messy Church is that wehave been able to do that in our ownbuilding with people who feelcomfortable in the surroundings.Messy Church is about worshippingGod and building relationships.It would be great if you could join usat our final Messy Church of theschool year, if you’re not sure aboutcoming just as yourself and would likea purpose or something to do on theevening then that can be arranged ifyou just have a chat with me, I won’tmake you do anything horrid, Ipromise. Maybe you have a randomtalent, that David Waters remindedyou of at our Brunel weekend, is theresomething you feel ready to share?Messy Church might be the right placefor that.


If you want to know more about MessyChurch then please just have a chatwith me, Richard or Felicity.It has been great to share with somany people at Messy Church, peoplethat I had never met before.This is what we do at Messy Churchand we don’t force anyone to doanything:5.30pm = people arrive, go into thehall and see what crafts or activities todo, and do one they are comfortablewith. This is an opportunity to talk topeople or just get into some cardmaking, sticking, painting, icingbiscuits (whatever you want)6.15pm = we go into the church for astory, couple of action worship songs,a prayer time and say grace together6.30pm = dinner time, we all sittogether to eat something and share inan excellent meal7.00pm - ish (depending on how longit takes to eat) = home time

There are however other thingshappening this month, including:1. Our Annual Church Picnic, atPittville Park, meeting (near the bandstand) after church on Sunday 3rd July.2. The Last Sunday Special of theterm, a dress up special, 9.00ambreakfast club for the children onSunday 10th July. The ‘dress up’theme is ‘uniforms’ (police, doctor,football ref, cricketer, swimmer,army, Star Trek, the possibilities areendless! This is something for thechildren but if any adults want tocome dressed up on that Sunday thenthey can, maybe you could come as aScout, Guide or even Reverend!)3. A Bring and Share Lunch onSunday 17th July after the morningservice.I hope you’re not trying to fit into aswimming costume for the summeras there seems to be a ‘food’ them forJuly! It should be a great month ofactivities, so come and be part ofsomething special.

George’s Organic Café10 Bennington Street. Cheltenham. GL50 4ED

We were in town at lunchtime on business and felt peckish so called in toGeorge’s Organic Café for lunch, where we had the most delicious bowl ofhomemade soup with crusty bread, in pleasant surroundings, and a verywarm welcome.Please support this Café if you are able.It is where Alison Steley, a member of our Sunday morning congregation,works. They now open every day but are struggling to spread the word,as they were forced to close on Mondays and Tuesdays for a while.They serve a delicious selection of snacks and light lunches at competitiveprices.

Lorraine and Neil Gasside


Sue’s NewsIt is always special when someoneexpresses a wish to become aHighbury Church member. Howwonderful to welcome four newmembers into the Highbury family ona May Sunday. We hope and pray thatKaren Haden, Lyn Horne, Pat Kimberand Joan Peirce will enjoy many happyyears with us. Acknowledging theWord of the Lord and entering into thefellowship of Highbury is an act of faithand a commitment to support the workand decisions of our Church.I was reminded recently, by DianaAdams, that it was the 50th

Anniversary of the date when a groupof young people was received intowhat was then Junior Membership ofHighbury, by Rev Lawrence Squires.This group included Diana, myself andAlison Merrett. Remarkable that Dianaremembered the date so precisely!Mentioning Diana, she is, of course,the editor of Highbury News. For along time, she and the late ChristineWallis had shared the responsibilities.Now, Diana would appreciate ashadow/volunteer assistant for help,input and support. Anyone interestedin journalistic matters, or withappropriate skills or aspirations, pleasehave a word with Diana.

Journalism? Again, Highbury hits thelocal press. Becky, with Andrea,featured in the Gloucestershire Echo.That Child Friendly Award has raisedmore than a passing interest ....... andvery well deserved.I have mentioned this before. As youshould have received the latest issueof the Highbury Directory, please thinkbefore you dispose of the old issue.Entries could be considered to be onlyof interest to our members and manydo not necessarily want names andcontact details in general circulation.From the security aspect, pleaseconsider burning or shredding the castoff copies.Final paragraph (on return from BrunelManor): It was a weekend with a WowFactor. Focusing on “Knowing Me,Knowing You, (ahaaaa)” David Watersgave us so much to think about, talkabout and, hopefully, remember. Withhis ready wit and warm delivery, Davidcertainly helped us forget theinclement weather, and the welcomeand comforts of the venue wereenjoyed by regulars and first-timersalike. Memorable! More reports andinformation are sure to follow, in theAugust edition of Highbury News.

APPRECIATION - Dear Richard and all my lovely Highbury friends -I want to express my sincere thanks for all the lovely cards for my 90th

Birthday and for everything you do. I can assure you it is much appreciated.A special thank you to Matthew and Christian for their lovely home madecards, and to Janet and Steve for the church flowers.My thanks again and God bless you all.

Vic Lewis


We had planned to support thischarity later in the year but havebrought it forward as we wanted touse the opportunity to express ourthanks for the care given to ChristineWallis and her family during her timeat Leckhampton Court. The charityhas given us this description of therange of service they offer, notsurprisingly it cannot convey howvalued they are by people they havetouched.“Sue Ryder — Leckhampton CourtHospice provides compassionate careand support to people from acrossGloucestershire living with seriousillnesses and conditions. The hospiceoffers support for patients, theircarers and families. Our specialistpalliative care includes assessmentand management of complexsymptoms as well as compassionateand dignified end of life care.“We have a 16-bed inpatient unit thatprovides specialist palliative care forpeople with life limiting illness and ourday hospice provides complementarytherapy, art and music therapy,

rehabilitation and psychologicalsupport. We have also recently startedto offer blood transfusions and druginfusions within our day patient unit.“Our Hospice at Home Service is aflexible and responsive service aimingto compliment existing health andsocial care services and supportpatients to remain in their own homesfor as long as possible.“All care is provided free of charge.Every year we need to raise over £1million in voluntary contributions toprovide this care and we therefore relyon support from the community tocontinue providing services at thehospice for the people ofGloucestershire.“Your kind support and recognition ofour vital work is invaluable.”

Sue Ryder –Leckhampton Court Hospice.

Sue Ryder is a charity registered inEngland and Wales (1052076)and in Scotland (SCO39578)

Mary Michael

Chosen Charity for JulySue Ryder – Leckhampton Court Hospice

God looked around his gardenAnd found an empty place,He then looked down upon the earthAnd saw your tired face.

He put his arms around youAnd lifted you to rest.God’s garden must be beautifulHe always takes the best.

He saw the road was getting roughAnd the hills were hard to climb.So he closed your weary eyelidsAnd whispered, ‘Peace by Thine’.

It broke our hearts to lose youBut you didn’t go alone,For part of us went with youThe day God called you home.


Prayers for CheltenhamMonday to Friday12-30 to 12-45

St Mary’s Church in the Town CentrePeople from all the churches of Cheltenham are invited to join together inprayer for our town each lunchtime from 12-30 to 12-45. There is awelcome to join in those prayers each weekday in St Mary’s, the parishchurch of Cheltenham.

Richard Cleaves

Open the BookThe Lord’s Prayer

Thursday 14th July 7-30pm

It’s fascinating how familiar texts come to life in new and fresh ways whenlooked at from a different perspective. Kenneth E. Bailey spent his workinglife teaching and in ministry in the Middle East, for many years in Jerusalem.

His recent book, (SPCK, 2008) draws onthat experience and on commentaries written down through the centuriesin Syriac, Arabic and other languages of the Middle East.

With his help, through the summer months we have been looking at the waythe Lord’s Prayer not only provides us with a wonderful framework forprayer, but also goes to the very heart of the faith we share. Do join us inthe Morton Brown Room, as we ‘Open the Book’.

Thursday 14th July Sins and Evil, Power and Glory Matthew 6: 12-13

Wednesday LunchWednesday Lunch is a regular fixture in Highbury’s calendar, and is served onthe second Wednesday of the month at 12.30pm. Keep an eye on the noticeboard by the car park door for all the information, and to book each month.Everyone is very welcome to come along - the next date is Wednesday 13th

July. Please speak to one of us if you have a question or a specific dietaryrequirement:

Jean Gregory, Mary Michael,Janet Rhodes, Lorraine Gasside

and Katherine Stanley


CONGRATULATIONS to- grandparents Jean and Roger Gregory, and parents Claire and WilliamGregory, on the safe arrival of baby Matthew Tobias on Tuesday 7th June, abrother for George- Joan Barnes, on celebrating her 90th birthday on Friday 1st July- Rev Lawrence Squires, Minister of Highbury from 1958 to 1965, who will becelebrating his 100th birthday on Wednesday 6th JulyNEW ADDRESS - on Tuesday 12th July Rev Lawrence Squires will move to -and we pray that Lawrence will enjoy much happiness in his new homeWE ARE PLEASED TO REPORT that- Margaret Morgan is recuperating after successful surgery- Joyce Moore is home again, freed from the worry of surgery- Barbara Murrell is home, and it was lovely to welcome her back to church- Christine Lodge, Brownie Leader, is making good progress following surgeryOUR SYMPATHY to- Valerie Pimble on the death of her sister- Gwyneth Rattle and all in her family - sadly Gwyneth's sister Margaret diedsuddenly while preparing to go to church on Sunday 29th MayPLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS those mentioned above, and also- Stephanie Stewart and all in her family, especially her mother Louise andgrandparents Rose and Edwin Hayward, as Stephanie has had more surgery- David and Helen Roberts, their family, and his mum Mary, as David’s dad Alfhas had heart bypass surgery in Bristol- Vic Lewis, and Lorraine and Neil Gasside - Reg Hochkins- Gwyneth and Dennis Rattle - Walter Kirstein- Charles and Ruth Adams - Pat James- Jonquil and Peter Harrison - Moffat, in prison in Zambia- Jonathan, Hilary, Elizabeth and Benjamin Rowe as they relocate to Truro- Sue Bamford who has been unable to move in to her new home as plannedbecause of a flooding issue- other friends known to us personally, in need of our prayers and support, withvarious health, employment, family and other worries in these difficult days- those in need of our prayers and support long-term- the many people affected by wars and natural disasters in the world

News of the Church Family


Since 1849 the Church building hasbeen both a focal point and a place ofworship for the local community,however, the church is now in crisisand desperately needs help.The severe winter worsened theinevitable structural deterioration ofthe building from exposure to 162years of weather, and also revealedfaults in its original construction.The present custodians have beenbrought to their knees, metaphoricallyand prayerfully, by the completelyunexpected high cost of the remedialwork deemed necessary to make thebuilding safe for present and futuregenerations of worshippers.Unless we are able to replenish fundsurgently, our aspirations of retaining afull time Minister will not be attainable.This will affect our ability to reach outto meet the needs of the localcommunity.Building work started last October,with the intention of re-rendering and

repainting the exterior, at an estimatedcost of £15,000. But removal of the oldrendering revealed severe structuralproblems requiring attention, resultingin an escalation of the cost to around£75,000. Last month, defects werefound in the roof timbers, and thebuilding is now considered to beunsafe for use, and steel supports areneeded at a further cost of about£20,000.Almost all available funds, which hadbeen intended to support the futureministry, will need to be diverted to thebuilding work. This will have a majornegative impact on the future and onour endeavours to reach out to thelocal community.We turn, with some reluctance, to ourfellow Christians to ask both for yourprayers, and for any practical orfinancial help you may feel able to offer.

Yours in His service,Rev Christine Ritter

Minister of Gas Green Baptist

Urgent Need - CCP stocks are very lowCCP is an emergency food distribution service for people andfamilies in times of crisis. The scheme provides food parcels to cover theimmediate crisis or to give support in the intervening period before statutoryagencies can begin ongoing longer term assistance. There is an urgent need toreplenish stocks of non-perishable food, in particular meat based products suchas tinned curry, minced beef, tinned stew, Fray Bentos pies, corned beef, tinnedham etc. and would also welcome donations of staple foods such as rice, pastaand mash, packet and other tinned foods.

If you are able to donate any of these itemsplease put them in the CCP box in the Porch at Highbury.

Thank you for your continued support of CCP, it is greatly appreciated, butplease only give non-perishable foodstuffs.

Lorraine Gasside

A prayer concern for Gas Green Baptist Church


Chosen CharitiesCommunion offerings and money donated at coffeetime after morning worship will go to our chosencharity for July, which is Sue Ryder - LeckhamptonCourt Hospice (see page 9)The money raised by our communion offerings andby those who stayed on for coffee after the morningservices in May for Myasthenia Gravis Associationwas £197.72

Welcoming Team for JulySunday MORNING Sunday EVENINGJean Gregory June TremlettShirley Fiddimore Rose HaywardGwyneth Rattle Edwin Hayward

Vestry DutySunday MORNING Sunday EVENINGSharon Wallington Mary Buchanan

Hy-Way in JulyOur Wednesday meetings will continue on Wednesdays into July,

from 2.00 to 3.30pm in the Morton Brown Room.However, we plan an outing on Wednesday 13th July,and there will be no meeting on Wednesday 27th July.

There will be no meetings through Augustand we reconvene on Wednesday 7th September.

All are invited to join us - do come alongand you will be assured of a very warm welcome

Leukaemia and Intensive ChemotherapyMany thanks to all who sponsored my 18-mile walk.

My sore feet raised £210 for LINK. My feet are better now!Mary Michael


Financial Contribution to Congregational Federation

As I am sure you are all awareHighbury church finances arecompletely independent of any otherchurch or organisation, and we, as acongregation, are responsible forproviding income necessary to run allaspects of the church’s life. Thisincludes Worship and Ministry, Missionand Administration and upkeep of thebuildings.We also have a responsibility to play afull part in our congregationalheritage. We have a National andArea function that helps to support ourchurch’s aims and objectives; and toprovide legal and professional adviceas required.All churches are asked to contributetowards the CongregationalFederation nationally.As a minimum all churches are askedto pay an Affiliation Fee, which iscurrently £113 per church plus £4.10for each member. All churches arealso asked to contribute to theChristian Ministries Appeal and theMinistry and Mission Fund.In recent years Highbury has chosento make a per member contribution;which is currently £4.00 per head tothe Christian Ministries Appeal, and£8.00 per head to the Ministry andMission Fund.Highbury also collects further moniesvia the Ministry and Mission Fundboxes and the CWM Birthday Scheme,which both go to the Ministry andMission Fund. This is in the order ofan additional £1,000 or more.

The Christian Ministries Appeal is usedto support work with children andyoung people, support and guidancefor churches, training and othersupport areas. The Ministry andMission Fund is used to supportmission through the CWM partnershipof churches which includesCongregational Federation churches.The support services provided by theCongregational Federation nationallyto churches cost considerably morethan the income generated this way:those costs are met from interest onhistoric investments.In total we pay the CongregationalFederation nationally per member perannum, £16.10 per head, as well asfurther donations to the Ministry andMission Fund.We have recently been advised thatthe South West Midlands Area of theCongregational Federation financesare in shortfall, and the Area Executivehas proposed that churches in the areadonate £4.00 per head to underwritefuture expenditure. Until now all thecosts of Area activities and the supportof the churches through the Area’s twopart-time workers, the Church SupportWorker and the Children’s Work Co-ordinator, has been met by historicinvestment from the Area. This is thefirst time that churches have beenasked to contribute towards the Area’scosts.At the suggestion of the Finance Groupthe Diaconate has recommended thatthe church meeting accept the Area’sproposal of £4.00 per head, making a


total Highbury contribution to theCongregational Federation nationallyand locally of £20.10 per member.We are very keen to be responsiblemembers of the CongregationalFederation and at the same continueto support appeals from Christian Aidand others as and when they are made.

As a church it is important that eachmember actively supports, in financeand prayer, Highbury church and thewider work of the CongregationalFederation.

Roger GregoryTreasurer

Update on MoffatIn his most recent letter Moffat says that his appeal has been adjourned toTuesday 12th July. Moffat is earnestly praying for a lawyer to represent himbut it seems that God is not going to work in that way - there hasn't beenany useful response from the lawyers that Moffat told us about, and we havevery little money in the fund for a lawyer anyway.A number of us believe that he will see God powerfully at work. Pleasecontinue to pray for Moffat - that his faith will deepen and he will trust Godto lead him through this.Moffat has asked if we can get him a radio - a 12 band receiver - he'sconcerned about the forthcoming elections in Zambia. I don't know aboutthe current President but the previous one was a Christian and neverauthorised an execution. With Moffat being on Death Row the result of theelection will be of great concern - so please pray that we will be able toobtain the right kind of radio and that it will reach him safely. Thank you.

Judi Marsh

Card AppealYou may have seen in the Echo that the Cobalt Unit, our local cancercampaign HQ at Linton House, Thirlestaine Road, is appealing for cards forrecycling.If you have cards you could donate, please pass them to me on a Sunday,as I have joined the Team who recycle the cards that make such acontribution to this fund, but we are desperately short of cards to work with.Birthday, Anniversary, Get Well any sort of greetings cards are very welcome.Please call in to Linton House (opposite the Breast Screening Centre) to buycards, books and gifts from the shop. It’s also a great place to donate bookswithout having the carry then far! Thank you.

Tricia Stone


Day Meeting Contact Tel. Number

Sunday 10-30am Morning Service Richard Cleaves

Sunday 6-30pm Evening Service Richard Cleaves

Sunday 7-15pm Hy-Tec Adrian Blazey

Monday 6-45pm Scouts Andy Sargent

Tuesday 9-45am Toddlers Felicity Cleaves

Tuesday 5-45pm Transformers Becky Hartwell

Wednesday 2-00pm Hy-Way Sue Cole

Wednesday 6-15pm Cubs Ian Miller

Wednesday 6-00pm Brownies Christine Lodge

3rd Wednesday 8pm House Group Sharon Wallington

Thursday 10 - 11.30 Community Café Felicity Cleaves

Thursday 7-30pm Church MeetingDeacons’ Meeting

Open the Book

Sue Cole

Richard Cleaves

Friday 7-00pm Guides Tania Ashdown

Friday 7-30pm Choir Mary Clifford

Saturday 10-00am Beavers Amanda Sargent

1st Saturday 2-30pm Friendship Group Olga Slack

2nd Saturday 6.30pm Hy-Speed Peter Tennant

Sunday 9-30 am Hy-Spirit Mary Buchanan

Cheltenham Young Gospel ChoirThe Cheltenham Young Gospel Choir, will be starting in September 2011.

This is an exciting new venture for children aged 7 to 12 years.It is an opportunity for children to meet together weekly to sing,

worship and grow together in their faith.For further details please contact me.

Heather Charlesworth( 0 7842 138572 - [email protected]


Calendar for July

Saturday 2nd 2.30pm Friendship Group for those who live alone

SUNDAY 3rd 10.30am Morning Worship 12.30pm Church Picnic in Pittville Park

6.30pm Evening Prayers with Holy CommunionThursday 7th 7.30pm Church MeetingSaturday 9th 6.30pm Hy-Speed (younger members) 8.30pm Hy-Speed (older members)

SUNDAY 17th 10.30am Morning Worship with Holy Communion 1.00pm Bring and Share Lunch 6.30pm Evening Prayers

SUNDAY 10th 9.00am Sunday Special 10.30am Morning Worship 6.30pm Evening PrayersTuesday 12th 5.30pm Messy Church - ALL welcome - see page 6Wednesday 13th 12.30pm Highbury Lunch – see page 10Thursday 14th 7.30pm Open the Book – see page 10

SUNDAY 24th 10.30am Morning Worship 6.30pm Evening Prayers

Highbury Community CaféThursdays 10:00am until 11:30amCoffee, Tea and Homemade Cake

Bring a friend or neighbour

SUNDAY 31st 10.30am Morning Worship 6.30pm Evening Prayers

Both Services led by Rev Mark Evans, a former member of Highbury Church, now minister of Belvedere and Erith Congregational Church, in Kent.


Mission RescueHoliday ClubWednesday 24th to Friday 26th August 10-00 to 12-00Sunday 28th August 10-30amAt Highbury with friends from St Luke’s

Look out for registration forms - and sign up!Helpers needed - please sign up at church!

Planning Meetings: Wednesday 13th July 8-00 at Highbury Wednesday 3rd August 7-30 at HighburySet-up: Tuesday 23rd August from 7-00pm

PRIORY FAIRArt, Craft and Vintage

in

Highbury Church Hallon

Saturday 9th July from 2pm to 5pmA unique opportunity to come and browse or buy

individual artwork by local artists, vintage items and much more ...Jewellery MosaicsCeramics Vintage Clothes & ChinaVintage Textiles Bespoke Bird BoxesKitchenalia Homemade CupcakesOriginal Artwork & Glass


Prayer Focus - District 7Richard and Diana Adams

Désirée BeerDavid and Joyce Bullows, Grace, Isabel and Heather

Mary CliffordJohn Lewis

Steve and Alison Merrett, and Roger Merrett

Deacon: Diana Adams

Visitor: John Lewis

Prayer Rota for Sundays in JulyMorning

Sunday 3rd July Felicity Cleaves Sunday 10th July Iain Macleod Sunday 17th July Richard Cleaves Sunday 24th July Mary Michael Sunday 31st July Jean Gregory

EveningSunday 17th July Richard Adams

S.W. Midlands Area of the Congregational Federation invites us to pray for …

Sunday 3rd July Frampton on Severn Sunday 10th July Witney Sunday 17th July Kingswood Bristol Sunday 24th July All Children’s Holiday Clubs Sunday 31st July Hawkesbury Upton

CHURCH FAMILY NEWS, AND VISITING REQUESTS contact:

Joyce and Philip Arnold ( 01242 285705

David and Betty Butcher ( 01242 300581

PRAYER CHAIN REQUESTS contact:

Lorraine Gasside ( 01242 239838 - [email protected]


Over the last few months the Scout Group has been taking part in twofund-raising initiatives. Following the Christchurch earthquake the Scouts ofNew Zealand sent blankets for the victims and UK Scouts were invited to raise£4 per blanket to help them out. The Cub Pack decided to try and cover a smallblanket with pennies and in so doing raised £39 which has been sent to NewZealand.The Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami shocked us all and the whole Groupwere challenged to raise money for Shelterbox, a charity that has been workingin partnership with UK Scouting for the past 3 years, providing programmematerial for every section. A Shelterbox costs £590 and we have managed toraise that amount mainly by direct giving, but the Cubs had a non- uniformnight, and the blanket from the earlier meeting together with some badges togo on it as a campfire blanket was auctioned off. In connection with the appealthe Cubs had a local volunteer from Shelterbox to visit them, and she showthem pictures from her time on Haiti and the contents of a Shelterbox.Eventually we should know where our box has been used. If you would like toknow more about ShelterBox visit www.shelterbox.org

Scout Group Re-Cycling FundraiserAs many of you know we raise money for the Scout Group by collecting andrecycling mobile phones and original laser and inkjet cartridges (not Epson).The company we use are now adding CD's and DVD's to the list of things wecan recycle.The conditions are:CD and DVD Recycling

Every CD album returned will earn 50p for your Scout GroupAll items collected must have their disc, original artwork and case

They cannot pay for the following:CD singles or EP's Copies or fakesPromotional CD's (ones given away free in newspapers or magazines)Items without a barcode Items marked not for resaleItems with missing artwork, cases or discsDiscs which are badly damagedMore than four of any one item per 250 collected.

If you can add these to the items you already collect for us that would be great.The collecting box is in the corridor at church.

Felicity Cleaves - Group Scout Leader

1st Cheltenham (Highbury) Scout Group


The Rowe Family in MadridThe End ....Nearly twelve years ago Jonathancame to Madrid with what somepeople thought was an impossiblemission: find a suitable flat in less than36 hours. He was successful with thehelp of Judith, a colleague at theseminary. Two months ago, Hilaryhelped Judith as she prepared to enterthe local hospice.Four days later, as we were househunting in England, a message cameto say she had died. We arrived backin El Escorial just in time for hermemorial service, which was packedwith her Spanish friends, family andformer colleagues. People gave thanksfor a life committed to the training ofchurch leaders in Spain and teachingthe Bible in her local church.Our time with the Church MissionSociety is to end in July. But the end isnot always the last word: we willcontinue to teach the Bible when wereturn to Britain.Perhaps you could continue to pray forthe seminary and the church in Spain.

Give thanks for the committedteam at SEUT, which has abrighter and more secure futurethan when we arrived. Theseminary’s degrees will shortlyreceive official governmentrecognition.

Praise God for the success of theTheological Workshop. Somepeople are happier doing “bitesize” chunks of theologicaltraining.Pray for the Science and Faithproject as it goes from strength tostrength. Its regular lectures,discussions and publicationsprovide an important forum fordebate among people fromdifferent academic disciplines.The renovated chapel has been animportant stimulus to the spirituallife of the Fliedner Foundation.Pray that this develops over thecoming years.Please continue to pray thatHilary’s friend Gala receives herresidency papers. Thank you.

Finally, we would like to THANK YOUfor all your support and prayers duringour time in Spain - Gracias!

Jonathan and Hilary Rowe

who have been seconded by theChurch Mission Society

to theSeminario Evangélico Unido de Teología,

Madrid

PLEASE CONTINUE TO REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS -Jonathan and Hilary Rowe, Elizabeth and Benjamin

as they finish their time in El Escorial at SEUTand prepare to move to Cornwall


Gloucester Cathedral will be filled with spectacular floral arrangementscelebrating the famous people, products and events of Gloucestershire.A magnificent floral carpet stretching the full length of the Nave will be thecenterpiece of the display. At 14ft wide x 96ft long, it will be the longest carpetto be seen in any of the 42 Cathedrals of England.The arrangements will be provided by organisations and parishes from aroundthe County, including Girlguiding Gloucestershire and C of E Primary Schools inthe diocese, who will all work to create a wonderful display in the West End ofthe Cathedral.A series of special events including talks, demonstrations, music and a glitteringCotswold Life Gala Dinner (tickets £75) will add to the occasion, while thesuperb cloisters will play host to an exclusive shopping experience where stallswill be selling plants, crafts and all kinds of garden delights.Entrance tickets cover admission to the floral displays and stalls and include afree programme. They are available from the Cathedral on-line shop, or inperson from the Cathedral shop, or ’phone the Gloucester Tourist InformationCentre on 01452 396572. Prices: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday £7.50 andSaturday £5 (accompanied children under 16 are free). Tickets for associatedevents in the Chapter House do not admit the holder to the Flower Festival.

Talk by Adam Henson - Friday 15th July at 11.00amA talk in the Chapter House of Gloucester Cathedral by presenterAdam Henson, an expert in rare breed conservation, who runs the renownedCotswold Farm Park. With a wealth of experience in farming, Adam is highlysought-after for TV, radio and public speaking. Ticket: £10

Concert by Eluned Pierce - A Glimpse of Heaven -Friday 15th July at 7.30pm

Beautiful harp music, flowers and candles all set against the glorious Great EastWindow of Gloucester Cathedral will surely make this concert a glimpse ofHeaven. Eluned Pierce is one of the UK's leading harpists and performs withmany orchestras, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.Ticket price £15 includes a glass of sparkling wine.

For more information see: www.gloucestercathedral.org.ukor leaflets with all the details may be found in the Church Porch at Highbury

Glorious GloucestershireWednesday 13th to Saturday 16th July

10.00am to 5.00pmA celebration in flower at Gloucester Cathedral


Congregational Federation Nicaragua Appeal

As mentioned in the June edition ofHighbury News, the Federation’s threeyear project in partnership withChristian Aid to support Onè Respé inthe Dominican Republic, has nowcome to an end, having raised£31,000.But a new project for a further threeyears was agreed by the MayAssembly for the Federation to againwork in partnership with Christian Aid,and support work done in Nicaragua.Why Nicaragua?Nicaragua is the poorest country inLatin America. It is the same size asEngland, but the standard of living isvery different. Eighty per cent ofNicaraguans live on less than £1.22 aday. More than a quarter of thepopulation is undernourished, and onefifth do not have access to cleandrinking water. Most people earn aliving as small scale farmers or byworking in small, informal businesses.What are the biggest challenges?Christian Aid works in two main issuesin Nicaragua.1. Trade – Christian Aid’s partnerssupport cooperatives, helping smallproducers access markets where theycan sell their products. They helppeople to improve their production,processing, marketing and sales skills,so they can reach new customers andearn a better living.2. Disaster Risk Reduction –Christian Aid’s partners helpvulnerable communities prepare toface the annual storm season (June to

November) which brings floods andlandslides that threaten lives, homesand crops. Many of the ruralcommunities where these partnerswork are also affected by drought.Nothing happened and nobodydrownedNicaragua is one of the three countriesin the world most affected by weathercatastrophes. That’s why disaster riskreduction work is a key part ofChristian Aid’s work in Nicaragua,which is being supported by this newCF appeal.Christian Aid’s local partnerorganisations in Nicaragua are settingup local emergency committees tohelp communities to stay safe. Theyinclude river and rainfall monitors,search and rescue brigades, andhealth brigades.Carlos José Majia is part of the searchand rescue brigade in his village. Heexplains, “We did a simulation offlooding and we learnt how toevacuate, and how to get sick peopleand children across the river.”Carlos’ training has already saved lives– those of his own children, GreyvinJosé (10) and Greyvin Llaféth (7).He says “Once the river filled upsuddenly because of rains higher up. Iknew it was dangerous so I wentrunning to collect my boys fromschool. It’s on the other side of theriver and usually they have to wadeacross. I didn’t want them to try tocross without me. I waded across andwent to the school to pick them up.


But when we got back down to theriver it was even higher and flowingfast. I put my foot in, like we had beentaught, and I felt how strong thecurrent was and knew it was toodangerous to cross. The boys couldhave been swept away. So we waitedfor four hours until the waters wentdown, and then we crossed.”Successful disaster risk reduction workis often invisible, because it is atragedy that didn’t happen.Our gifts will help train morecommunities in these life-saving skills.What are we doing to help?The CF has pledged to raise at least£30,000 (and hopefully £50,000) overthree years to support Christian Aid’swork in Nicaragua. The money will beused by local organisations (ChristianAid’s partners) to help people developtheir own solutions to the problemsthey face.The appeal is called FirmFoundations because that is whatthese partners are giving individualsand communities in Nicaragua – firmfoundations to withstand naturalthreats such as storms and hurricanes,and firm foundations to grow enoughand earn enough to support theirfamilies’ needs.£8 could pay to train someone toset up an emergency committeefor their community£13 could pay for someone toattend a one-day search andrescue course, as Carlos has doneRev Sandra Turner, the Chair of theCongregational Federation’s Missionand Society Committee, writes:

“Through our giving, praying, and ourinvolvement with this partnership withChristian Aid, we can support thesecommunities in Nicaragua. Whateverhappens to our ‘Big Society’ here inBritain in the meantime, we can bepart of building a far bigger one. Amento that!”You can find out more about theappeal and the work in Nicaragua atcongregational.org.uk/nicaragua

Visit Nicaragua in 2012The Congregational Federation islooking for a small group of people tovisit Nicaragua for approximately 10days in mid April 2012.The cost of the visit will be splitbetween Christian Aid, theCongregational Federation and theindividuals going.This is an exciting and rare opportunityto see at first hand the challengesfacing the people living in one of thewestern hemisphere’s poorestcountries. You would have theopportunity to meet a range ofChristian Aid’s partners and see theirwork in action. You would also havethe opportunity to see some of thebeautiful and diverse country.Those selected would be asked tocontribute directly to helping furtheradvance the appeal through, forexample, making presentations tochurches and writing articles forpublication to the Federation’schurches.If you are interested in being part ofthat group, contact Michael Heaney [email protected]


Street PastorsA team of Street Pastors go out onto the streets of Cheltenham on Friday andSaturday nights, backed up by those who pray for them at home or at theirbase. They hand out water to those whose libations have made them thirsty,but who would not benefit from further intake of ‘strong liquids’. They also havesupplies of footwear for women and girls, struggling in tottery high heeled shoeswho can’t cope with walking in them. More technically, they have two wayradios, one per team, connected to the police and the taxi rank marshals, whichare useful in directing to any particular location where help is needed.No two nights are the same. Tasks vary: replanting up-rooted bedding in thegardens, picking up broken glass, walking someone to A&E, handing over a losthandbag to the police, lending a sympathetic ear (sometimes to a somewhatincoherent speaker) or maybe there is an opportunity to put in a word for Christ.Full training is given to new volunteers, and the Street Pastors could do withmore recruits, whether as prayer supporters or as hands-on members out in thenight-time economy. Ask yourself if God is calling you to go out or to ministerin prayer behind the scenes – you may find a whole unknown side ofCheltenham opens up before you.There is a fantastic opportunity this month to attend a day's introductorytraining in Roles and Responsibilities, on Saturday 1st July from 10am to 4pm inCirencester.Please contact [email protected] or ’phone Rachel on01242 515257 for more information.

Interesting Facts - for ALL Ages!

THIS IS THE ONLY TIME WE WILL SEE AND LIVE THIS EVENTThis year, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays

Evidently this only happens once every 823 years

THIS YEAR WE’RE GOING TO EXPERIENCE 4 UNUSUAL DATES1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11

and that's not all ...

Take the last two digits of the year in which you were born - now add the age you will be this year -

The result will be 111 for everyone in the whole world.


To all lovers of the liberal art of musicDr Martin Luther wishes grace andpeace from God the Father and ourLord Jesus Christ.With all my heart I would extol theprecious gift of God in music, but Iscarcely know where to begin or end.There is nothing on earth that has notits tone.Even the air invisible sings whensmitten with a staff.Among the beasts and the birds songis still more marvelous.David, himself a musician, testifieswith amazement to the song of thebirds.What then shall I say of the voice ofman, to which naught else may becompared?The heathen philosophers have strivenin vain to explain how the tongue ofman can express the thoughts of theheart in speech and song, throughlaughter and lamentation.Music is to be praised as only secondto the Word of God, because by herare the emotions swayed.Nothing on earth is more mighty tomake the sad gay and the gay sad, tohearten the downcast, mellow the

overweening, temper the exuberant,or mollify the vengeful.The Holy Spirit himself pays tribute tomusic when he records that the evilspirit of Saul was exorcised as Davidplayed on his harp.The fathers desired that music shouldalways abide in the Church.That is why there are so many songsand psalms.This precious gift has been bestowedon men alone to remind them that theyare created to praise and magnify theLord.But when natural music is sharpenedand polished by art, then one begins tosee with amazement the great wisdomof God in his wonderful work of music,where one voice takes a simple partand around it sing three, four or fiveother voices, leaping, springing roundabout, marvelously gracing the simplepart, like a square dance in heavenwith friendly bows, embracings, andhearty swinging of partners.He who does not find this aninexpressible miracle of the Lord is notworthy of being considered a man.

Submitted by James Martin

In Praise Of Music

Inner PeaceIf you can start the day without caffeine; if you can always be cheerful,ignoring aches and pains; if you can resist complaining and boring people withyour troubles; if you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it; ifyou can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time;if you can take criticism and blame without resentment; if you can conquertension without medical help; if you can relax without alcohol; if you can sleepwithout the aid of drugs - then you are probably the Family Dog!


145th Anniversary Celebrations at Prestbury URCon Sunday 22nd May 2011

It might be said by some that this URCowes its existence to two men, one bydesign and one by accident. The firstwas the Rev Dr Morton Brown ofHighbury who masterminded thefoundation of the church as part of theCongregational Church’s ‘seeding’programme of the mid 19th Century.The second was the Rev JohnEdwards, an advocate of the OxfordMovement, who succeeded his fatheras Vicar of Prestbury in 1860; after hischanges to the building and worship atSt Mary’s the need was felt by some inthe village for the existence of a moreovertly Protestant church.The Foundation Stone of the‘Prestbury Chapel’ was laid by thestaunch Congregationalist Henry O.Wills of the Bristol Tobacco family, on2nd November 1865, and the doorsopened for worship at the end of May1866.Amazingly, the chapel cost theequivalent of only £32K to build. MrWills gave £15 10s and the chiefbenefactor was a Miss Delancey whogave £60 (or £2.5K in new money).Susan Delancey may have been one inthe long line of Cheltenham’seccentrics, for when she died in 1866she was a long term resident of thePlough Hotel and had also previouslybeen a resident of the Belle Vue. Youmay think that she was quite generousin her donation, but when she died in1866 she was worth nearly £7m intoday’s terms. Some of her moneywent on to endow the new

Cheltenham Fever and InfectiousDiseases Hospital in 1874 in CharltonLane, Leckhampton.The church grew and prospered. TheSchoolroom behind was addedsometime before 1900 and the Vestrywas extended in 1903 to encompassthe space now used as the kitchen.We are now on at least the fourthorgan. The stained glass windowswere dedicated to the memory ofMajor Capel of Prestbury House whowas a great friend to this Church.There are still many in the village whoremember the days in the 60s whenour church fêtes were held atPrestbury House, and they were sopopular that coach loads of visitorswould attend from other churches.Time and vandalism, however, havenot been good to the windows, and afew years ago the lower tier ofwindows were replaced by modernetched windows in memory of severalfriends and members. Indeed it maynot be obvious, but this is a church fullof memorials – from the plaque toHarold Broome, to collection plates, tocommunion cups to the communionrail, to the lectern.Looking through the old ChurchMeeting Minutes we find a rich churchlife of three services a week, lanternlectures, socials, film shows, outings,women’s groups and Bible study. Butthere is also a reflection of theprevailing social conditions.Sometimes the church was indifficulties. In the early 1900s, after


several months of the treasurer payingthe minister’s salary from his ownpocket, the church had to let theminister go as they could no longerafford to pay him.A quick browse through the CentenaryHistory, written by Joe Hewinson, alsogives us some highlights in the life ofthe church.In 1895 the Church entered into aformal agreement with Highbury thatall members of Prestbury were to beconsidered members of Highbury asthe mother church, and that Highburycould veto candidates for membership.Those of you who know this churchwell know about our longstandingproblems with damp so I am notsurprised to read that in 1901 a greenbaize covering was bought to keep thedamp off the organ. But it may nothave worked, for the next year theybought a new one.Embarrassingly when the church firstenquired about being licensed forweddings it was discovered that thechurch was not actually registered asplace of worship and this wasremedied in 1908. In 1910 the churchwas registered for weddings – the firstbeing on 6th August of that year of ourvery own ‘Wills and Kate‘, Miss KateGodding and Mr William Smith, whowere presented with a beautifullybound Bible.In 1929 – Electric Light was installed.In the grim 1930s donations weremade to the General Hospital, to SoupKitchens, to Homes for MotherlessChildren, St Dunstan’s Home for theBlind and to the Prime Minister’s Fundfor the Miners.

In 1939 there was much discussion onthe appointment of a new minister ona salary of £2 per week, as it was stillthe custom that this was paid directlyby the congregation. It was alsoagreed to pay his national healthinsurance.In 1940 the Church joined in a unitedpastorate with WinchcombeCongregational Church, but this wasdissolved, rather acrimoniously, in1949.By now the church was on a wartimefooting and during the winter monthsthe church had a permanent blackout.Early on there was a discussion onwhat to do if the siren should soundduring a service. It was decided thatthe service would continue at thediscretion of the Pastor, but that aspotter should then go outside on dutyand that anyone who had to report forduties (or indeed anyone else) wouldhave the opportunity to leave.In January 1940 teams of volunteerswere formed to fire-watch in thechurch during raids, and a stirruppump was obtained. In 1942 amorning service was cancelledbecause of Invasion Practice and itwas agreed that the schoolroom couldbe used as a treatment area if therewas a gas attack. With the Peace cameplans for a new village memorial – thatof a house for the village nurse, and in1949 we gave £10 to the fund. Thehouse was built next door. As a resultof her arrival, the screening of thegents’ latrine which used to be on thatside of the church had to be improvedas it was deemed to afford ‘insufficientprotection’.


Also in that year, the church secretary,Mr Keylock, resigned after an amazing37 years.After an idle conversation with theMayor at the 1950 Cricket Festival, MrF O Wills, who was chairman of theGloucestershire County Cricket Club,realised the significance of the silvertrowel the family possessed, and on2nd November, 85 years after they hadbeen used, the trowel and gavel werepresented back to the church.In 1962 there was a major renovationof the building - pews were removedand 100 chairs bought. This was afar-sighted decision enabling us to usethe church much more flexibly today.In 1973 Prestbury joined the newUnited Reformed Church. It was in the70s and 80s that we shared a ministerwith Warden Hill URC whilst enjoying afriendly relationship with St Andrews.When we were in vacancy in 1991 itwas mooted to join the three churchesin a United Pastorate with twoministers – Glyn Jenkins and JoanWinterbottom.In 1991 we celebrated 125 years ofworship here with the making ofcushions to sit on. This was a projectthat acquired a life of its own –stretching out beyond these walls andinto the village and beyond – withpeople with no allegiance at all to ourchurch offering to stitch or to sponsor.

It was a mammoth project – and over100 cushions were madeSo where are we today? Well, as in1901, we are still battling the damp,but we have a wonderfully modern,airy and light kitchen, hall andvestibule. The congregation is notlarge, but we are a friendly andwelcoming church. Our monthly coffeemornings are a village institution, andwe do well with our Fairs and Sales,though if a few churches would like tobus in some shoppers we wouldn’t sayno!Currently our biggest outreach projectis the Urchins Toddler Group whichwas started in 1997, and as anyonewho has dared venture over thethreshold recently can tell you, theplace is absolutely heaving. By the endof every term well over 100 mothers,carers and babies will have venturedin, but thankfully they don’t all come atonce! We are hoping that our latestinitiative, ‘Jump 4 Joy’ will grow fromthis base.As we celebrate our 145 years ofhistory, we look to the future too. Itmay be a little hazy and uncertain butwe know that we will always celebratethe spirit of those who, of any era,have worshipped here in this church.

Fiona HallPrestbury URC Secretary

True Leadership in MissionBe shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers -not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrustedto you, but being examples to the flock.


W.S. TrenhaileFuneral Directors

Private Chapels

of ReposeApostle House

175 London Road

Charlton Kings

GL53 6HN

Tel: 01242 224897

Mason & StokesFuneral Directors

David MasonRichard Mason

Joy MasonA Family BusinessProviding a Caring

Day and Night Service

Tudor Lodge54 Hewlett Road

CheltenhamGL52 6AH

Tel: 01242 224877

Help and Advice onPre-Arranged Funeral Plans

If you would like to be part of this eventplease contact

Carol Cross on 01242 775172or [email protected]

For more information about the dayand the planned activities visit:www.midsummerfiesta.com

Midsummer Fiesta in Montpellier GardensSaturday 9th July from 12 noon to 9pm

We are looking for volunteers to help steward our event which is being held inMontpellier Gardens, Cheltenham.It promises to be an enjoyable day and stewards will handle a variety of taskswhich can include: setting up the park prior to the event, car parking, workingwith stage managers and performers, assist with organising the market place,marshalling, meeting and greeting, information tent, litter picking, reliefsupport and floaters, assisting activities, directing attendees to activities,requesting feedback from attendees or packing up at the end of the day.A series of events will entertain visitors. There will be live music from somegreat local bands and performers, dance troupes from across the town, stallsfrom voluntary organisations, arts and crafts, fun fair and children’s village.The community can also picnic with the kids, have a drink and enjoy a wideselection of global cuisine.There will also be sports activities, including Gloucester Rugby Clubshowcasing the work of the club, with personal appearances from topinternational players, coaches and some mini rugby matches.Entrance is free and everyone is invited to come along.


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Toddler Group / Transformers for school years 3-6 / Hy-tec for 11s & overChoir/ Music, House and Prayer Groups / Alpha: exploring faith / Hy-Way /

Friendship Group / Scouting / Guiding / Hy-Speed etc.For a chat, or to find out more, ’phone Richard Cleaves on 01242 522050

A Prayer for all to Share

For this cause I bow my kneesunto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,That he would grant you,according to the riches of his glory,to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,may be able to comprehend with all saintswhat is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantlyabove all that we ask or think,according to the power that worketh in us,unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesusthroughout all ages,world without end.Amen.

Sundays at 6.30pmquiet, reflective evening prayers

with a focus onBiblical teaching

Ephesians3:14-21

taken fromthe

AuthorisedVersion

First publishedin 1611, theAuthorised

Version has,thanks to the

genius ofWilliamTyndale,

shaped theEnglish

language asmuch as

Shakespeare.

It has shapedmany lives

Sundays at 10.30amA time for all the Church family

to share in worship -groups for children and young people

Highbury Congregational Church

A place to share Christian friendship,explore Christian faith andenter into Christian mission

Highbury News July 2011

Documents

Transcript of Highbury News July 2011