St. Mary's Parish Church, Nantwich

Annual Report: Groups and Activities

2018-2019

Contents

Rector's Introduction Churchwardens' Report The PCC 2018-2019 PCC Secretary's Report Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church Nantwich Deanery Synod Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults Parish Safeguarding Policy - Promoting a Safer Church Churches Together in Nantwich

A-Z(ish) of Groups within St. Mary's:

Baptism Belfry CAP Job Club Friday Soup & Sandwich Lunches Flower Ladies Home Groups:

Christian Issues Wednesday Night Thursday Night Lent Course

Housekeeping Team Ladies' Breakfast Men's Breakfast Listening Team Messy Church Mission Support Group Mothers' Union Mums and Tots Music at St Mary's:

Choir SING!@St. Mary's Lunchtime Concerts

Nantwich Lectures

Open House Pastoral Care Prayer:

Contemplative Prayer Julian Meeting

Readers Sacristan & Servers Seniors' Lounge Social Group Stewards' Team Tapestry Group This Month Visitors' Centre Visits Organiser & School Party Visits Youth & Children's Groups:

Church Mice (0-4) Launch Pad (4-7) Orbit (7-11) Gravity (11+) Little Fish Friday Nite Live Schools Work

Rector's Introduction

This is a collection of reports from the many groups and activities at St. Mary's for the year April 2018 to April 2019, ie. between the Annual Parochial Church Meetings. It is complemented by the Trustees' Annual Report, the report of the Parochial Church Council to the Charities Commission for the calendar year 2018, received at the 2019 APCM. There is some overlap between the two, but the latter includes matters not

covered here such as finance, governance, regular services, weddings & funerals.

News through the year is communicated via the Sunday notice sheet This Week, and the monthly magazine, This Month. In This Month we are trying to feature different groups, including a photograph, to help people to understand more about the various activities, and to put faces to names. In This Week, three of the groups are listed each Sunday to prompt our prayers.

I started naming groups in This Week, partly to build up a comprehensive list of all that happens at St. Mary's or in association with St. Mary's. It took five months to get to the end of the cycle, and I feared someone may come and tell me what had been missed. So far so good, having stopped at 59 items.

Most are covered in this report and it is very encouraging to see together the range of provision across all ages. It is heartening to note the time, skill and dedication offered by so many people, to the benefit of each other in the congregations, and to the benefit of so many visitors and parishioners.

Keeping in touch is not easy at St. Mary's, given the different services and the many groups, but this report, the magazine This Month (please sample it, and subscribe if you don't already), the pew sheet This Week, and the St. Mary's Facebook page (which has grown from nothing to 546 followers in the past year) all help us to know what's happening.

More importantly, good communication helps us to get to know each other better. A church at its best is a place where we all give, yet receive so much more in return, as we share together in the body of Christ. Thanks be to God for so many blessings in the past year. Mark Hart

Churchwardens' Report I was watching the men pruning the trees around the Church. Some were just trimmed while others were cut back hard. This reminded me of St. Mary's Church. These trees are of long standing with strong roots and firm trunks to support the branches, as is St. Mary's with its standing in the town and its support of town activities/traditions and its people.

Come the Spring/Summer there will be new growth in the form of flowers and leaves on the trees.

So with the church we have welcomed new people to St. Mary's - many of whom have joined in church activities bringing with them new ideas and enthusiasm which can, and does, blend in with the existing traditions.

Our Rector, Mark Hart and his wife Karen have now completed their first year with us and their involvement in many of the church activities has been a delight to see (flowers/branches).

Susie Boxhall has also joined us and is working with great enthusiasm in her role as Youth and Children's Worker.

The visitors to St. Mary's find our Church welcoming, thanks to the work of our stewards, and comments are often made about the flowers and how clean and tidy the church is. Again, this is because of the work done by our volunteers, added to this the shop chatter and welcoming cup of tea help to maintain a good atmosphere in St. Mary's.

Many visitors on Sunday comment on the quality of the singing by the choir and the organ playing wanting to know who our organist is. Mention is often made in connection with the actual ringing of the bells as opposed to recorded disc.

To move forward there is a need perhaps to blend new ideas with the long-established traditions of our Church in order that the wider community of our town can work with us for the benefit of all.

My thanks go to all the staff - many of whom work well beyond the hours of their stated contract.

I would also like to offer my sincere thanks to all the volunteers who show great commitment to the Church by carrying out many tasks both within the building and in outreach. Without your help and support this Church could not function.

Finally, but not least, you the congregation. You turn up at church week after week, hail, rain, sun or snow, with a smile and a welcoming word. So let our "tree" flourish, blossom and grow. Pat Stalker

The PCC 2018-2019 Ex-Officio Members

Rev. Dr. Mark Hart * Incumbent & Chairman Rev. Stephen Snelling * Associate Rector (until June 2018) Rev. Professor Bernard Moss * Associate Minister Mrs. Pat Stalker * Churchwarden & Deanery Synod Rep Mr. Chris Harris * Churchwarden

Elected Members Mrs. Gill Appleton Deanery Synod Rep until APCM 2020 Mr. Bryan Coghlan * Deanery Synod Rep until APCM 2020 Mr. Andrew Kelly Deanery Synod Rep until APCM 2020

(Resigned February 2019)

Elected to serve until APCM 2019 Mrs. Vanessa Layfield Mrs. Kath Slater * (previously Leonard) (Resigned November 2018) Mr. Paul O'Brien * Mr. Nigel Winzer Mrs. Dot Woods

Elected to serve until APCM 2020 Mrs. Penny Beeston Mr. Peter Bennett Mrs. Belinda Coghlan Mrs. Anne Vetter (Resigned February 2019)

Elected to serve until APCM 2021 Mrs. Andrea Clews (Resigned November 2018) Mr. Rob Icke Miss Helen Lockett Mr. Steve Lockett (Treasurer)

Co-opted Members Miss Beth Roberts (Secretary) *

* Standing Committee Members

PCC Secretary’s Report This report covers the church year between the Annual Parochial Church Meetings (APCM) in April.

The numbers of members (who are all therefore trustees) varied throughout the year with many changes due to resignations. The year ends with a total of 17 trustees. Members met 8 times. Standing Committee comprised up to 9 members and met on 10 occasions when the agendas for PCC meetings were planned and necessary PCC matters progressed, additional matters being progressed with the benefit of e-mail. Minutes of PCC meetings are displayed on the church noticeboard, once approved at the following meeting.

The PCC has both a Parish Safeguarding Officer and a Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Co-ordinator and they ensure that we are informed of the continually changing requirements and conduct the required review of our Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults policies. The PCC continually review the various risk assessments for special activities as well as the general assessments for all church activities.

Members received regular reports on the church finances from the Treasurers of the General and the Restoration & Development Funds, and the spending decisions ensured that any money donated expressly for any specific project was ring fenced.

A significant decision advanced in the year was the sale of our previous curate's house and progressing the purchase of a more suitable property that will, due to the way it will be funded, be able to be used when not required for a specific curate.

PCC also received reports from Deanery Synod and Churches Together in Nantwich as well as maintaining links with the Town Council. These links enable us to engage with such activities as the Nantwich Agricultural Show, Food Fair, Jazz Festival and Summer Fair as part of our mission to the local community.

We continue to be grateful to the many individuals who ensure that the church fabric is maintained, services and activities run and those who enable our historic building to remain open for visitors.

We have been encouraged to work alongside our Rector, Reverend Dr. Mark Hart in his first year in Nantwich. There have been a few other changes in the ministry team through the year particularly in the children's work but we are glad to welcome Susie Boxhall as full time Youth and Children's Worker. In the year we also said goodbye to Associate Rector Stephen Snelling as he left St. Mary's prior to moving to Suffolk.

We continue to look to new initiatives in order to provide the resources of people and funds to support St. Mary's in its service and outreach to Nantwich and beyond. Beth Roberts (Secretary)

Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church

Looking after the fabric of St. Mary's is not an easy task and if anyone had fully explained the intricacies of applying for faculties beforehand, I might have declined to take this on!! The process is most definitely NOT user friendly!

The major project this year has been the repair of the weather vane on the tower and we are very grateful to the Preservation Trust for their help in funding this. With our 5 yearly quinquennial due this year, there will undoubtedly be more projects that are raised and a major fund-raising appeal is likely to be launched. Repair to the stonework around the South Transept window will be included in this.

Additionally, we have ensured that regular maintenance was carried out where necessary, to make certain of compliance with government regulations and the requirements of our insurance policy including:

· annual testing of the lightning protection system; · annual servicing of the gas boilers; · annual servicing of the fire extinguishers; · annual portable appliance (PAT) testing; · six monthly testing of the roof alarm; · six monthly testing and servicing of the lift for the less able; · six monthly testing of the pumping station.

My thanks go to Nigel Winzer for his advice on all areas and to Paul O'Brien for the work he does behind the scenes as well as co-ordinating the work on the weather vane. Chris Harris

Nantwich Deanery Synod

We meet 3 times a year, each at different churches in the Deanery. As well as conducting the formal business of the meeting, which generally only takes 10 minutes or so, we sometimes receive a talk from a guest speaker and then discuss among ourselves, the issues raised or the questions posed.

The Rural Dean, Helen Chantry, occasionally challenges us with a topical subject to discuss in open forum.

We have recently received talks on "Death Café" (renamed Grave Talk) from Rev. Tim Hayward, Vicar of Bunbury. This explored death, dying and funerals and how we could help people to talk about it. On homelessness and living on the streets from Richard Holmes of Crewe YMCA and on the subjects of Debt Management and Job Clubs which try to help people into work from Tim Oakley at Christians Against Poverty (CAP).

We next meet at St. Mary's Nantwich on Tuesday, 21st May 2019. This meeting will be organised by those who recently completed the Foundations for Ministry course led by Helen Chantry. This will be an open meeting so anyone can attend from the Parish and beyond.

For November we have invited the new Dean of Chester Cathedral, The Very Rev. Tim Stratford to speak to us at our meeting in Burleydam.

Bryan Coghlan

Churches Together in Nantwich (CTiN) The AGM was held on 5th February 2019. The following Committee were re-elected:

Chair - Rod Greenow Vice Chair - Gary Wareham Secretary - Simon Bowen Treasurer - Jackie Holland

The churches of Nantwich have worked together week by week running:

The Foodbank. More people are using the Foodbank as they struggle with Universal Credit. It gets very busy. Sainsbury's have nominated it as their charity this year. More volunteers are needed.

Street Pastors continue to go out weekly between 11pm & 4am on Friday or Saturday. They just manage to provide a team to go on the street and another person at base as a prayer pastor and someone at home who also prays for them. Illness and holidays present great problems so they urgently need more volunteers to cover this area. The police are very grateful for the work that the Pastors do, helping youngsters in trouble, supplying first aid and helping with all manner of problems that arise in our night time economy.

Refugees Welcome. We now have a Syrian refugee family living in Nantwich. They arrived at the beginning of December. The parents and 3 children are settling in well and, with help, working hard at learning English. The youngest child, age 8, is attending Alder Hey Hospital. They are all at school. Thanks to all the volunteers who are working with them.

The other yearly events are:

Christmas Day Lunch - This was a great success. Bags of Joy - were delivered to patients spending Christmas in Leighton Hospital. Good Friday Service on the square. Millennium Bursary. Nantwich Show. Reaseheath College Freshers' Day. Gill Appleton

Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults

"Safeguarding means the action the Church takes to promote a safer culture in all our churches. In order to achieve this, we need to do a lot of hard work. The Church will take appropriate steps to maintain a safer environment for all …" Archbishop Justin Welby writes in his introduction to the Parish Safeguarding Handbook.

Following the publication of "Promoting a Safer Church", The Church of England's new safeguarding policy, in December 2017; the Parish Safeguarding Handbook was issued in June 2018. This is a comprehensive reference document containing new guidance, revised model policies and new administration forms. This handbook has been adopted by the PCC. It is being worked through carefully to ensure that St. Mary's adopts necessary documents and policies, acts on new guidance and implements up to date administration procedures. This is ongoing.

Safe recruitment is a formal procedure no matter how long volunteers, who come forward to work with vulnerable groups, have been attending St. Mary's. 101 volunteers have been safely recruited and all those whose roles are eligible have a Disclosure and Barring Service Check. All volunteers receive national and parish policies and must declare in writing that they understand safe practice guidance and procedures for reporting.

A safeguarding audit was undertaken in September 2018 and we are satisfied that we are fully achieving targets in 9 out of 10 criteria. We work hard to improve the remaining area by encouraging volunteers to undertake safeguarding training. 49 have received training.

A number of safeguarding issues and incidents have occurred in 2018/2019. These are being managed following procedure in communication/meetings with the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Pauline Butterfield. Parish safeguarding meetings are held every month and safeguarding is reported on at every PCC meeting.

Please be vigilant, report any safeguarding concerns you have to Belinda Coghlan, Jo McCauley, Rev. Dr. Mark Hart or Rev. Dr. Bernard Moss.

Belinda Coghlan and Jo McCauley - Parish Safeguarding Officers

Parish Safeguarding Policy - Promoting a Safer Church

The following policy was agreed at the Parochial Church Council meeting of St. Mary's Church, Nantwich held on 29th November 2018. In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy our church is committed to:

• Promoting a safer environment and culture. • Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to

children, young people and vulnerable adults within the church. • Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation. • Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons. • Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse

and other affected persons. • Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.

The Parish will: • Create a safe and caring place for all. • Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and

the PCC to implement policy and procedures. Belinda Coghlan (PSO children) Jo McCauley (PSO vulnerable adults)

• Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.

• Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish.

• Display in church premises and on the Parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs.

• Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse. • Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind

arises, following House of Bishops guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) and statutory agencies immediately.

• Offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.

• Care for and monitor any member of the church community who may pose a risk to children and adults whilst maintaining appropriate confidentiality and the safety of all parties.

• Ensure that health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place and that these are reviewed annually.

• Review the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices at least annually.

Each person who works within this church community will agree to abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this church.

Baptism

"Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father."

An interesting part of my work as Baptism Co-ordinator is watching families grow as they bring second and subsequent children for Baptism.

Numbers are down this year with 77 Baptisms and 3 Thanksgivings. The team has been busy with large numbers attending these occasions.

Changes this year - sadly Helen Chapman, a valued team member, has moved house and is attending her village church - we miss her and wish her well. In training we now have Clare White & Elvina Atherton

- we welcome them to the team. Rev. Mark has re-ordered the service sheet and together we have brought services up to date. We have adjusted the format of our Baptism Welcome evening where families attend instruction and book dates.

Jo McCauley and I are kept busy

visiting families at home and

keeping in touch with any who have problems or concerns.

The annual Tots' Nativity and Baptism Celebration were both lively, happy, family gatherings with some families attending Little Fish and the 9.30am Family Service as a result. We now have a newly-appointed Youth & Children's Worker, Susie Boxhall, who will be getting involved with baptism families.

We offer baptism on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month with 2 families at each session, keeping things personal with smaller groups being baptised outside these sessions. The format using visual aids, children's Bible readings and related colouring boards is much appreciated by the many children attending. Our book of handprints is now in 7 volumes dating from 2004. We

Co

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Tots' Nativity

Welcome to Baptism

are a very happy, supportive team. Jo and I work together planning and organising, along with the team of assistants, ensuring these special services run smoothly.

Thanks to Gail and Miriam in the Parish Office, our pianist Tony Metcalfe and John Spencer, Rose Harris and Pat Stalker our support group. Another varied and busy team. Dorothy Relton, Baptism Co-ordinator

Belfry

Again we are able to report a busy year "upstairs" - lots of service ringing plus

good ringing at monthly Branch meetings.

We began with the obligatory post-Christmas ring, pub lunch and walk (this year

at Leek) – which was well attended in spite of the snow. The annual outing was

less well attended than in the past which was disappointing – perhaps a change is

needed for 2019.

The Branch 6-bell striking competition was held at Warmingham, where we came

second – a very creditable result especially as five of our six team members

were under 25.

Along with our usual wedding ringing we joined with the rest of the country in

November to commemorate the end of WW1. Our youngest member Elvina rang

the treble to a half-muffled quarter peal, and our newest recruit, Fanny, (who

joined us last Spring) was also able to join in the ringing. Following a failed

attempt at a full peal of Bob Major in November, the band were successful in

achieving this on New Year's Eve.

A recent visit to the ringing chamber by the Shavington Beavers generated a lot

of interest, especially in helping to wind the clock, and having a "little go" at

pulling the ropes (both children and helpers!!).

The Rangers at Middlewood Way, Bollington have very generously gifted some

ash when tree-felling, which we need for our stays - this has saved the tower

considerable expense and we are very grateful.

We are very sad to note the death of Robert Greenwood last September. Bob

had been a ringer at St. Mary's for many years as well as a member of the

congregation and keeper of the archives.

As always, if you are interested, curious, or just plain bored – do come up and

see us and be assured of a warm welcome. Mary Stanwell (Tower Secretary)

CAP Job Club

2018 was an exciting year where we saw the development of CAP (Christians Against Poverty) services in Nantwich, in the launch of the CAP Job Club.

The launch was very well attended, with representatives from local organisations and charities, local Social Care, the Job Centre Plus in Crewe, the local MP, the Town Clerk and the Mayor, as well as friends and other supporters who joined us on the day.

The Job Club opens every Tuesday morning between 9.30am and 12.30pm. It is held at Market Street Church and we offer a Drop-In Facility for those out of work, those on job seekers allowance and for those struggling to make ends meet and seeking to build skills and confidence. We run two CAP courses: the Steps Towards Employment course and the Money Budgeting course. Steps Towards Employment (STE) is an 8 week course which aims to equip job seekers with the tools that will help them make better job applications and succeed at interview. Those attending are also offered one-to-one coaching, practice with interviews and emotional or spiritual support. The Money course is a 3 week household budgeting course, enabling participants to gain confidence and skills in managing their money easily. The Money course has run in Nantwich for over 2 years.

The Job Club has been well received and those attending have expressed appreciation of the warm welcome and being met exactly where there are.

Angie Bartlett & Kay Carson

Friday Soup and Sandwich Lunches

The Lunch service is thriving and busy, with newly recruited organisers Kate Spiers and Linda Lewis in addition to last year's team, who are grateful to share the commitment with them.

Mary Harris continues as soup chef, her home kitchen is registered with Cheshire East and we maintain a food standards highest rating of 5. We are hugely grateful for the cheerful willingness of every volunteer, for their dedicated hard work, love and caring for each other and for our customers.

Our customers remain highly appreciative of the service, social time and care, not to mention the fresh hot soup! Donations covered costs and we were able to donate £500 to the Nantwich Food Bank on our customers behalf. Our donating customers support a number of people who really need the food, drink and company we provide free of charge and we are thankful to be able to continue in such good heart despite fluctuating food prices and economic uncertainty.

We need to increase our number of relief volunteers allowing for illness, holidays and availability to maintain a minimum of 8 volunteers each week. If you are not already on our contact list and might like to offer a few hours regularly, or occasionally at short notice, please get in touch (07753 840118 or

maryhma@icloud.com) to discuss volunteering - or

come for lunch on a Friday between 12noon and 1pm and see what we do! Mary Harris

Flower Ladies

Our team of flower arrangers are led by Glenys Ellis. Flowers are arranged every week throughout the year except of course Advent and Lent when we have a well-earned rest.

We call upon the whole team when we arrange flowers for a wedding. We also call upon all of our ladies to arrange flowers for special events such as Easter, Harvest and Christmas.

We rely on financial contributions from the congregation at these times as the cost of flowers increases yearly. This is becoming a problem as we need our capital to finance our next Flower Festival so cannot use it to pay for flowers at Christmas, Easter and Harvest. Gill Appleton

Home Groups

Christian Issues

Eighteen people are members of our Christian Issues Group. Starting with the

programmed topic we discuss and listen to each other in a warm, friendly

atmosphere. We meet fortnightly and start at 7.45pm. A programme for each term

is published. Topics are suggested by members. All are under the heading of

Current Issues of Concern to Christians. Recent topics have been:

1. Propaganda and Truth

2. Under what circumstances can

the use of force be justified?

3. The Liturgy- Help or Hindrance?

4. Is all God's creation good?

5. Communication

6. Capitalism isn't working with a

democracy

8. How do we know that God

loves us?

9. Eulogies and Mission Statements

10. Favourite Poems

11. What is freedom?

12. Does prison ever work?

13. Hope

7. Is science taking the place of religion?

At 9pm we finish with a Bible discussion on the Gospel of the day, prayers and

then light refreshments in the kitchen! Dot Roxby

Wednesday Night

If all of the group turned up together there would be 14 folk gathered. On average 8-12 meet together every Wednesday evening to share Bible study, prayer & a catch up with a brew as everyone arrives.

The group meets alternatively at the homes of Angie & Noel Bartlett and Beth Roberts. Some social evenings are held at different venues and the Bible studies are led by Angie, Beth & John Rivers. During the last year the group has studied different parts of Scripture in different ways.

Following the Church Lent Study leading up to Easter 2018, which covered "The Folly of the Cross" to the "Victory of the Cross", we commenced a journey of the Old Testament with a short study of Gideon from the book of Judges 6-8. From May-October the group gained much from continuing in the Old Testament and looking at 1 & 2 Samuel and also the book of Micah.

The group completed an Advent Study during November and December. Then during January and February of the new year, we all benefitted greatly by following The Bible Course by Dr Andrew Ollerton (published by The Bible

Society).There were 8 sessions all including video content, discussion time, personal reflection & daily readings. We would totally recommend it!

Definitely a group where the ‘"serious stuff" is interspersed with food, fun, fellowship & loads of amazing support.

Angie Bartlett & Beth Roberts

Thursday Night

Our group meets every other Thursday evening at Jackie and Brian Ford's house in Nantwich. Caroline and Peter Bennett lead this group. There are currently 10 of us. For much of the year we were studying John Pritchard's "Living Faithfully" about following Christ in everyday life. More recently we have been looking at Genesis using the Lifebuilder Bible Study Guide. This has been a really interesting and enriching study and has challenged us and taught us so much already. We are about half way through at the moment. We took a break from Genesis in December to allow reflection on Advent, and we are taking another break to study

the Beatitudes during Lent. Our sessions are informal and relaxed. We appreciate the time together for shared prayer and for discovering more about the Bible together. Every so often we have a social gathering instead of a Bible study, and we have been very fortunate to have Rev David Marsh lead us in Iona style Communion on these occasions.

Caroline Bennett

Lent Course

The Pilgrim Course, published by the Church of England in 2014, is a resource of eight books and associated resources to help people on their Christian journey, covering Turning to Christ, The

Lord's Prayer, The Commandments, The Beatitudes, The Creeds, The Eucharist, The Bible and Church & Kingdom. For the 2019 Lent Course we used the sessions on the Beatitudes, for a 5-week course held jointly with Nantwich Methodist Church on Tuesday afternoons and evenings, at the Methodist Church, and in two of our homegroups. In total, 60 people took part in the course.

The course sessions include a careful reading of a portion of Scripture relevant to the topic of the evening, allowing the words to sink in and our responses to emerge. After a short video, and reflections recorded by various well known people in the Church (including Robert Atwell, now Bishop of Exeter and former Bishop of Stockport), we discussed the issues in small groups or as one group.

The overall question of the course was 'What is the Christian vision for the world?' Perhaps this quotation from Mother Theresa at the end of the book sums it up:

"I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life?' Rather he will ask, 'How much love did you put into what you did?' "

Mark Hart

Housekeeping Team The Church has continued to be well cared for by a very active team.

We have had the pleasure of enrolling some new members, three of whom are men so the windowsills are now receiving attention!!

The group have regular meetings with coffee/tea and cake, at which ideas are exchanged and the team get to know each other.

A special word of thanks goes to Margaret Wilson for all that she has given, in time and energy, to hold the team together and encouraging volunteers.

If you would like to help with the church cleaning please contact me on 01270 625381. Pat Stalker

Ladies' Breakfast

2018 saw a third successful year of Ladies' Breakfasts. Although numbers have dwindled a little, so anyone reading this please do come along and give it a try. It's a very relaxed atmosphere, with delicious cooked breakfast provided by Susie and

her team at The Crown. A big thanks to Beth Roberts and Kath Slater who between them make the money side of things work out.

During 2018, we heard from a range of people starting in January with David Wilson from the Sealed Knot in full regalia actually on Holly Holy Day. Rachel Rivers gave us some Lenten thoughts, Clare Hogg headteacher at St. Thomas More School in Crewe shared her Philippines experience, then we heard from our "new" Rector, Mark (who is a regular attendee), Christine Kirkby shared her family investigations with us, Liz Southall told us about Red Shift, Ellen Matthews brought a rucksack of travel artefacts and even demonstrated how to wear a sari, Carole Thomas told us about her time as the Mayor's Consort and we heard from Paul North about the busy life when training for ordination.

Ideas and/or offers for speakers are always welcome. Sometimes I have a few lined up but sometimes it is Justin Time running things!!

Annie Coombs

Men's Breakfast

The Men's Breakfast continues as a popular monthly meeting. Attendees gather at The Crown hotel on the 3rd Saturday of each month to enjoy a breakfast followed by a short talk from a speaker. The speakers have mainly been members of the St. Mary's congregations, although occasionally we have had guests. One of the aspects of the Men's Breakfast which has been particularly well

received is how men from all the various congregations come together and enjoy fellowship with each other. New friendships have been made and old ones reinforced. Anyone interested in attending a breakfast can contact drjongriffiths@gmail.com Jonathan Griffiths

Listening Team Our "Drop In" Team began with Carole Malcolm, Angie Bartlett and Mary Harris. We are delighted to have recruited Maureen Coulter, Pat Stalker and Martyn Williams in 2018. We come from professional counselling or other employment where we have trained, practised and developed active listening skills to an advanced level and gained broad, long term experience. Two of the team are also qualified and willing to provide invaluable mentoring and group supervision.

Listening Skills Training Acorn Christian Healing Foundation provides our model for safe and effective listening skills. It is suitable for a variety of levels of training and practice in listening skills. We recognise that in addition to the regulated Drop In sessions where advanced skills are needed, many pastoral situations arise where good listening is a key skill used informally. In September 2018 we facilitated an Acorn listening skills basic training day in the Parish Hall and we will continue to facilitate appropriate levels of listening training and mentoring support for people in a variety of volunteer roles.

Drop In Listening Sessions - weekly, Thursday afternoon These sessions started in May 2018, first in church, now in the Church Shop - open for any adult to drop in and talk to one of the Listening Team,

with the possibility of more than one listening session if requested. We are now reviewing all aspects of this project in the light of practical experiences and team development. We have helped over 30 people even though the sessions have not yet been widely publicised. We have also compiled a comprehensive local signposting directory to help people find other support for a wide variety of problems.

Please direct initial enquiries about Listening training or the Drop In Sessions to Mary Harris, Trainee Pastoral Worker, Pastoral Visiting Co-ordinator.

Messy Church

There have been two Messy Church sessions since the last Annual Meeting, led by Andrea Clews, before she left her post as Children & Families' Worker in October 2018.

On 20th May we had "A Right Royal Wedding". All activities were based around the story of Jesus turning water

into wine at the wedding at Cana. It was followed by a "High Tea" which included cakes decorated by the children.

On 22nd July the theme was "Which Way?", encouraging everyone to think about what it means to follow Jesus, through various activities including a barefoot walk, a biscuit challenge, a maze, footprints in the sand, prayer booklets, "be still" colouring, snakes & ladders, and a Jesus key ring.

All the families who attended thoroughly enjoyed the time, thanks to all the hard work by Andrea and the team in preparing and running the events.

Messy Church for the future will in due course be reviewed by Susie and the Youth & Children's Work Steering Group. Mark Hart

Mission Support Group

Our Mission Support Group has the responsibility to make recommendations to the PCC each year about projects beyond our parish with which we wish to develop an active partnership alongside our financial support. There is a separate fund (The Nantwich Churchwardens' Merged Charities Fund) which provides relief for residents of Nantwich who are in need, hardship or distress, including the local Food Bank. We are committed to spending 8.5% of our income to various mission projects.

The projects we support fall into 3 main categories: International, National and Local. We prefer to make significant donations over a period of time (between 1-3 years) to several projects to enable us to develop strong working partnerships together.

To help us make our recommendations we use the following 5 Marks of Mission template against which we try prayerfully to evaluate which projects to recommend to the PCC.

Five Marks of Mission: which Mark(s) of Mission will this proposal respond to?

To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom To teach, baptise and nurture new believers To respond to human need by loving service To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation

To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

During the past year the PCC agreed to support the following projects alongside our continuing commitments to existing projects: 1. International: Al Sharooq School in Bethlehem with funding for new physiotherapy equipment for work with brain damaged and sight impaired children (for 1 year). 2. International: Operation Mobilisation for their Logos Hope ship taking Christian literature to South America (for 2 years). 3. International: we continue to pay the school fees for two students in Kenya (ongoing). 4. National: Railway Children to support work done with children in the UK including the Manchester Piccadilly station area to provide protection and opportunity for homeless children with nowhere else to go. (for 2 years) 5. Local: South Cheshire CLASP (Christian Link Association for Single Parents) to support the work they do to support and encourage lone parents and their families, including specialised counselling support where required. (for 3 years)

Additional donations we have made include: 1. Regular donations to Christian Aid including the Kerala and Rohinga disaster funds; 2. Our longstanding commitment to a Deanery project to help the churches in Crewe to employ a community worker has now resulted in a worker being appointed; 3. One-off donations (the Wardens' Merged Charity fund took over our donation to the local foodbank thereby releasing funds we could use elsewhere) were made to the Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy to support the local farming community in very stressful times; Novimost, a charity working with needy children in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and the Manchester City Mission night shelter project for homeless people.

Publicity: all the projects have featured in THIS MONTH articles throughout the year, and we've welcomed guest speakers to tell us about their work on 3 Sundays this year. Further information is available on the church website, and from any member of the MSG. Please uphold our projects in your prayers, by using the "prayer prompts" in each week's notice sheet.

MSG Membership 2018-2019: Angie and Noel Bartlett, Nick Hutt, Andrew Kelly, Vanessa Layfield, John Rivers, Rev. Bernard Moss (Chair).

Bernard Moss.

At our last AGM we had 38 members on the list, including three indoor members. During the year three members sadly died and, more happily, two former members rejoined, so we finished the year with 37 on the roll, including two men and one indoor member.

We have continued to support victims of domestic abuse, with toiletries, underwear etc., our present collection continuing to the end of January to make good use of surplus Christmas gifts. We were very grateful for the continued support of the congregation. For Mothering Sunday members made up over 400 bunches of daffodils to give out at the services. In February 2019 we supported MU abroad via a member who went out to visit MU in Malawi, giving them £100 from our branch for their needs.

Over the year the branch has been represented at all Diocesan Council and Deanery Committees. Our contact with the Nantwich Methodist Ladies Group continues, attending each other's meetings in January and March. We were all sad to say goodbye to Stephen, who had supported MU throughout his time in Nantwich and initiated the regular Eucharists for the branch. Fortunately, Mark and Bernard have stepped in to offer regular Communion services when possible, and we are most grateful for their involvement.

During 2018 we had a number of very interesting talks on a variety of themes, among which Spode China, Assistance Dogs and Boarding School Experiences were notable. Our June outing to Ness Gardens with Seniors' Lounge, and August Coffee Morning went well; the latter raised much needed funds for MU charities, especially Away From It All which provides simple holidays for needy families in the Chester Diocese. At the end of the year many of us, and more guests than in previous years, enjoyed a lovely Advent Carol Service taken by David Marsh, followed by a Christmas party.

Christine Kirkby, Branch Leader.

Mums and Tots

Mum's and Tots is a very active and growing pre-school play group. We meet on a Tuesday morning in the Parish Hall.

The toys and books available encourage activity, dexterity and learning.

We provide drinks and biscuit for both children and their carers.

The toddlers use this environment to develop skills of sharing and communication so they can learn to play alongside each other contentedly: a preparation for pre-school and reception. It also provides a meeting place for Mums, Dads, Grandparents and Carers in an environment where support can be found and friendships grow.

We run a craft activity in the small room off the hall where carers are encouraged to guide their children in using paper, colours, stickers, glue, glitter and playdoh.

Celia finishes the morning recognising birthdays and singing nursery rhymes.

We have a team of people who set out and clear away the toys. Another team who prepare and clear away the drinks.

We all help with the washing of toys every half term.

Because the group is so popular we always have a waiting list.

Fun is had by all. Gill Appleton

Music at St. Mary's

Choir The choir have continued to work hard in order to offer a good standard of

singing and support to both the 10.45am and 6pm services, as well as to the

bigger services throughout the Church's year.

We now number 8 sopranos, 8 junior choristers, 6 altos, 2 tenors, and 8 basses.

On average, 20 choristers plus regularly attend the 10.45am services and there

are usually 8-12 choristers at 6pm services. 6 juniors attend practices and

services regularly and these children are working towards the Voice for Life red

ribbon and badge.

We began the choir year with an Away Day at Broomhall and Sound Methodist

Church, where we enjoyed singing some new repertoire as well as a Bring and

Share lunch. My thanks go to David and Rosemary Jones for their help in

co-ordinating this event. We hope to repeat a similar day in June this year.

We sing Choral Evensong at 6pm services in St. Mary's whenever we can. In

addition, we sang Choral Evensong at Derby Cathedral in June and plan to repeat

this venture, perhaps further afield this summer if possible. The choir have also

been asked to take part in 2 future BBC Radio Stoke recordings this coming year.

The Advent and Christmas periods are quite expectedly very busy times and this

was no exception in December 2018 at St. Mary's. Again our choir led worship

ably and beautifully at the Advent Service, the Carol Service and at the

Midnight Service on Christmas Eve. As Easter approaches, we are looking

forward to singing Choral Evensong on Passion Sunday and leading the Easter

Songs of Praise service on Easter Day.

It is a privilege to be part of the St Mary’s Church family and to be able to lead

and support the congregation through music and singing. My sincere thanks go to

all choir members as well as to Simon Russell, our excellent organist, to Ester

Harries, our Wardrobe Mistress and especially to Linda Lewis & Karen Hart who

have taken over the role of Librarians this year. Huge thanks from all of us go

to Mark and Bernard for the invaluable ongoing support they give to the choir. Alison Phillips, Musical Director

20 children take part in Sing!@St. Mary's on Tuesday afternoons during term time in the Parish Hall. Their ages range from 4 to 14 and they enjoy singing a variety of songs and rounds as well as playing lots of musical games and

also preparing pieces for the 9.30am services. We enjoyed taking part in several 9.30 services during the Autumn Term.

8 members of the group regularly take part in the RSCM scheme Voice for Life on Tuesdays after SING! and are progressing well; 2 children are working towards the pale blue level and the rest are working towards the red ribbon and badge. 6 of these youngsters regularly attend the main Friday evening choir rehearsals as well as the 10.45 services on Sundays in addition to their SING!@St. Mary’s rehearsals and responsibilities. Grace Lewis, continues in her role of Head Chorister in St. Mary's Choir and is working towards her ABRSM Grade 3 Singing exam.

We have been ably supported this year by Rachel Duerden, our accompanist, Mary Harris and Karen Hart. Unfortunately rehearsals have been severely disrupted this last term because of my broken ankle but we are all now looking forward to lots more singing in the Summer Term. Alison Phillips

Lunchtime Concerts The Summer Lunchtime Concert season began in June 2108 and the Nantwich audiences were treated to 9 wonderful recitals which were given by both local soloists and their accompanists and those from further afield. There was a varied programme of concerts, which included harp, clarinet, voice, chamber choir,

piano duet, organ, violin, bassoon and trombone.

An extra concert by the pianist Kathryn Stott took place on the evening of 21st June as a celebration of our

magnificent grand piano, the new series of concerts run by a new committee and Kathryn's 60th birthday! Her recital was enjoyed by a paying audience who were richly entertained by her recital of piano music which ranged from Bach to Villa Lobos.

The new committee benefitted greatly from the marvellous legacy of organisation which was left by Anne and Tony

Metcalfe who had run the concerts for over 25 years, as well as a strong team of helpers both behind the scenes and in front!

My thanks to everyone who took part in this series, particularly to Tiki Wilson who was, and is, an invaluable support to us all.

Alison Phillips

Nantwich Lectures

Nantwich Lectures has brought in Academics to our local area. This is to bridge

the gap between academia and local Christians.

Since the last APCM we have asked "How Big is God? or Does Size Matter?" by

Rev. Dr. Mark Hart, Rector of Nantwich (20th June 2018). Under the umbrella of

climate change we had "Should Christians Eat Animals?" by Professor David

Clough MA MSt PhD FHEA (17th October). Heading for the Christmas season

we had a new idea to ponder under the title "The Star of Bethlehem - Myth or

Reality?" by Professor David Watts, University of Manchester (21st November).

With gender issues being debated our next lecture was "Life together: the

theology of marriage" by Dr. Ben Fulford, Deputy Head of Department and

Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology (13th March 2019).

People from all walks of life support these lectures and to help them mix we have

Meet and Greet refreshments at 7pm before the lecture at 7.30pm. Rev. Gordon Roxby

Open House Open House group continues as an informal social afternoon group where conversation flows easily while enjoying cups of tea with biscuits and cake. This gentle group facilitated by a few pastoral care volunteers was originally created as a bereavement support group and is especially welcoming for anyone feeling isolated or bereft.

The monthly time of relaxed companionship is appreciated by all who come and a listening ear and caring support are always available if needed. Increasingly, care is extending to keeping in touch with people who are unable to join in, or helping them to come by offering transport.

This year we have enjoyed the company of old friends and been glad to get to know a few new friends, always being surprised and delighted at finding people and places held in common as we talk. We mourn the death of volunteer Julia Crookall, who enlivened and supported the group for many years, even when it was clear that her own health was declining. We were very grateful to Philip, her husband, for continuing to provide his lovely musical accompaniment for our Christmas Carol Party in December. Mary Harris, Volunteer

Pastoral Care - Pastoral Visiting, Adults

Thank God for all who quietly "serve one another humbly in love" (Galatians 5: 13) by listening, nurturing and supporting others in their spiritual lives and through times of pain and crisis; also for all who care for the most vulnerable people around us by actively supporting groups where missional pastoral care is the essence of their service. Amongst many other projects, through the Parish Office and Rectory we continue to

provide emergency supplies and information to aid homeless people. A number of the pastoral groups provide separate reports, so here the

focus is on Pastoral Visiting:

Residential Care and Nursing Homes: The teams taking regular services into care homes have continued steadily with one or two changes in personnel. We have taken on one new home and resumed services at another after a long break. We currently cover a total of 10 care homes where services are adapted to the size and differing needs of each group. Being amongst our friends living with dementia there is a lovely flexible atmosphere of "gentle chaos" (Bernard

Moss) that produces surprising moments of spiritual awareness and some deeply blessed experiences. We will continue to explore and adapt dementia friendly worship practices with the Homes we serve.

Pastoral support for people who are housebound or in hospital either

temporarily or in the long term: We are reliant upon our Parish Office staff and individual church members for proactive communication in making us aware of pastoral needs as they arise and would rather know from several sources than none. Holy Communion, prayers, listening, visiting and telephone or e-mail support can then be offered with the consent of the person concerned. I am very pleased to report that we are beginning to define and form a small recruited team of lay volunteers with relevant experience and training to support Clergy and Lay Readers in pastoral visiting and bereavement care.

If you are minded to volunteer for pastoral visiting, please contact Mark to discuss the range of appropriate options.

Mary Harris, Trainee Pastoral Worker, Pastoral Visiting Co-ordinator

Prayer

Contemplative Prayer

A small group meet every Monday morning at 9am in St. Nicholas' Chapel for a very short session of silent prayer to start the week. The couple of Bible verses are usually to lead prayers on whatever was the theme of the previous day's liturgy. We always finish by 9.15am and you would be welcome to join in for a cup of coffee afterwards at a nearby cafe.

Sue Caunt

Contemplative prayer has been part of the Christian tradition since earliest times. In the medieval period it became mostly associated

with monasticism, but in the 20th century it was reclaimed as a normal part of many people's spiritual journey. "The Julian Meetings" is a network of groups to foster contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition.

At St. Mary's Julian Meetings are held usually at a member's house, 11 Maisterton Court, on the second Thursday of the month at 2pm. The Meeting has 14 members and actual attendance numbers are around 6-8.

A warm welcome is given anyone wishing to join this shared silence of "waiting on God" and simple ways of accessing stillness are offered to anyone to whom it is a new experience. The Group is a member of the National Julian Meetings and contact details are found both on their website and that of our own St. Mary's. The Parish Office and This Month hold forthcoming dates and confirmation of venue for publicity. Sue Hutt

Readers

The Ministry of Readers (previously known as Lay Readers) was revived in 1866 and celebrated 150 years in 2016. This year we celebrate 50 years since women first became Readers.

As our Bishop Peter has written: "Readers are bridge builders. They link the lay and ordained vocations within the Church and

provide vital support to the ministry of the Church."

At St. Mary's there are now four active Readers. Of these, two are Readers Emeritae: Sue Caunt and Dot Roxby. Emeritus is a recognition of years of work. Our two Readers are Lynne Marsh and Paul Ramsey. Between all of us our ministry includes assisting at Holy Communion services, leading Evening Prayer, leading home groups, preaching, visiting those who are sick at their home or in homes, taking services of Holy Communion by Extension; and assisting with This Month. We thank Rita Johnson and Herbert Rowsell who retired from active Reader Ministry in 2018, and wish them well in their retirement. And we wish Dot Woods well, who has been a Reader here and is to be ordained Deacon in June.

We meet as a team three times a year; and we also meet other Readers in the Deanery. We have a Diocesan Readers' Day in October when we meet in Chester. In 2018, Professor David Clough from the University of Chester lectured on "Christian Ethics and Other-than-human Creatures". Later there was the service for licensing new Readers and for relicensing those moving to other parishes; as well as recognising those who became Emeritus, including Dot Roxby.

We are always on the look-out for those who are potential Readers. There is a 3-year part-time training course. Each year 30th April is the closing date for applications for Reader training to begin then in September.

Please talk to any Reader if you would like to know more of what we do.

We shall all miss John Munks, a Reader since 1998 who died in February after a long illness. He was much loved both here and in surrounding parishes.

Paul Ramsey, Reader at St. Mary's Nantwich

Sacristan & Servers

Adult Servers: Dorothy Relton, Penny Beeston, David Singam, John Oakes, Dev

Hobson. We are also pleased to welcome Shelagh Green to the team and Emma

Kennedy our new server and crucifer who have both settled in well. We wish them well

for the future.

We have enjoyed having Rob Icke as part of our team over the last year or so. Rob is

one of St. Mary's Ordinands and will be Ordained at the end of June. He has been

serving to gain experience of all aspects of Ministry. We wish Rob well in his future

Ministry.

Young Servers: Elvina Atherton, Keren David, Cathrina David, Abbi Boschi and

Lara Boschi who are an important part of the serving team and a pleasure to work with.

All of these young people are very capable of working on their own now and are taking

an equal role alongside the adult servers.

We were sorry to say farewell to Stephanie Williams who had been in the serving team

for 8 years. Stephanie is now studying in York and was a pleasure to work with and is

missed greatly. We have been joined in the young servers' team by Isabella Yates who

has settled in well and is enjoying serving and learning well.

There are a great many different services at St. Mary's over the year and there is a

server or servers on duty for all the services and they play a large part in the spiritual

life of St. Mary's.

Last year in March we welcomed our new Rector Rev. Dr. Mark Hart and have enjoyed

working with him and we all look forward to the coming year.

On Maundy Thursday night before the main evening Communion service the Rector

holds a service of re-dedication for the servers where we dedicate ourselves to work in

God's service for another year. This is followed by the Main Service of Holy

Communion with the Washing of the Feet which takes place just before we Strip the

Altars and the church of all its finery in readiness for Good Friday and then Easter Day.

This is to remind us of what happened at the Last Supper where Jesus set an example to

his disciples by washing their feet.

We feel that we all share what a privilege it is to be allowed to serve God as we

do each week.

As Sacristan I would like to thank all the servers for the help and

hard work they put into all the services and the team spirit that we all

share. I would also like to thank them for the support they have

given to me especially over the past year. My thanks also go to

Diane Joslyn for taking over the role of washing and ironing the

small pieces of altar linen. Also special thanks to Diana Sweeney

for washing and ironing the large pieces of altar linen. All their

hard work is much appreciated. Rosemary Harris, Sacristan

Seniors' Lounge It is great to report that this outreach initiative, which takes place in the Parish Hall on the 2nd Sunday afternoon of each month, now in its 6th year, continues to flourish. We have 25-30 people attending as there is a growing need to provide a friendship group with some elements of worship included for those who would otherwise be on their own on a Sunday afternoon. It can be one of the loneliest days of the week, when there is little to do in Nantwich, and often relatives are busy with their own families.

As people arrive at 3pm, some having been driven by volunteers, they are welcomed at the door and given a name label so we can get to know them quickly. This helps friendships to develop. Tea or coffee is handed round by volunteers, plus a selection of cakes. We are very grateful to Chatwins who donate cakes each month, supplemented by cakes provided by the leaders. We are also very grateful for the support given by people acting as volunteers on a rota basis to serve drinks and then to sit and chat with people for about 35 minutes.

You don’t have to be a "Senior" in the true sense of the word to come - anyone is welcome if you have nothing to do on the 2nd Sunday afternoon of the month. This changes to the 3rd Sunday in November only, to allow for use of the Hall on Remembrance Sunday.

Each month a different game is played - like Countdown, Play your Cards Right or Pointless as on the TV. Sometimes we have a quiz based on TV shows or films from the past, such as The Army Game or Coronation Street, where members try to identify the name of the characters and the actor’s name. Everyone sings a couple of well-known hymns and there is a 10 minute light talk usually given by Bernard Moss. The session ends with a final blessing and people leave at 4.15pm - all saying that they are looking forward to the next time.

During the year we organise one or two day trips and then members of the Mothers' Union join with us. We had wonderful weather last year for our summer trip to Chester Cathedral where we met Barry and Yvonne Wilson for coffee in the Refectory, followed by a trip to Ness Gardens, on the Wirral.

New volunteers are always needed and welcomed. If you feel you would like to show the love of God in this way on a rota basis or to cover a holiday, please ask in the Parish Office how to contact Ros or Cathie.

Ros Reid/Cathie Riddell

Social Group The Social Group this year have organised several events, the highlight of which was the visit of Jonathan Veira with his "Songs and Tales" concert in November. This was a huge success drawing people from all over the area.

Last summer we helped organise a visit by our younger members to the trains near the Peacock as well as coordinating the organisation of the Summer Fair. This clashed with several national events and a very important football match which meant that footfall was not as great as in previous years, but we still managed to make a reasonable amount for the church funds. The fair is a major contributor to church funds and we need more help and ideas for this to continue to flourish in the future - if you are able to help with this, please speak to one of the committee.

We also helped with the Rector's Tea Party and the Pancake Party and we are looking to expand further in 2019. We already have booked a visit from The Searchlight Theatre Company in June, Bacon Butties after the 6.00am service on Easter Sunday, a major event for Bernard Moss in June and are looking at Harvest when we hope to have a Bring and Share Lunch.

The group can only set things in motion and if the activities are to be successful, it will only be through the participation and enjoyment of all. Please keep an eye out for future events and support us in any way you can. Chris Harris

Stewards' Team

Keeping St. Mary's open 6 days a week 9am to 4pm is of great pride both to members of our beautiful Church and to the Town and grateful thanks go to Regular Stewards (27) and Reserves (22 inc. some couples). 2018 saw an unusual number of Regular Stewards needing time off but Reserves did a great job filling in. As Stewards retire, recruitment and training of new Stewards continues under the guidance of Penny Smith with help from Liz Chisnall. Current need is for additional help administering the rota & training as the need arises.

Stewards really enjoy their task of giving a warm welcome to Visitors and sharing knowledge of St. Mary's history, services and activities and this greatly assists Visitors to enjoy both an interesting and spiritual experience. Stewards also keep a watchful eye on the contents of St. Mary's and their presence ensures people behave quietly and with respect. The glass doors at the West end continue to attract an increase in the number of visitors but not necessarily donations so a fresh approach to achieving donations would be welcomed.

As mentioned in last year's Annual Report, the security of Stewards and Visitors in the event of a real threat remains an important concern.

Penny Smith, Stewards' Co-ordinator

Stewards Meeting - Wednesday, 23rd May 2018

Tapestry Group The cushions for the Mouse Chairs are now complete and in position in St. Nicholas' Chapel.

16 kneelers needed new D-rings after the Christmas events.

HELP URGENTLY NEEDED!

All our 8 remaining members are of advanced years, and we would like to pass on our knowledge, so that the next generation will be able to clean and maintain the kneelers and curtain.

Please can you help? If so, can you contact the Parish Office who will forward your name to us, and a meeting can be arranged.

Tapestry Group

THIS MONTH Some things change, some stay the same

This time last year we were eagerly awaiting the first magazine article from Rector Mark, who, despite all the demands on his time (especially whilst he was settling in), has now guided the magazine committee through a whole year, during which we have received many compliments for the articles and varied content, especially the decision to move the family news page to the back cover and see more of our Church Family in glorious technicolour.

Jacquie Ballantyne emigrated to Devon, but not before finding an excellent new Distribution Manager in the form of Wendy Beastall who has seamlessly taken over receiving, sorting and distributing the magazine. This all happens one week earlier than in previous years (the magazine now arrives in Church on the last but one Friday of the month) to make sure that everyone on the distribution list has the benefit of having the magazine in their possession at the very start of the relevant month.

Anne Vetter rapidly filled our advertising spaces, for which we are very grateful, but now that she has moved on, we are in need of another willing volunteer to find new advertisers to fill the current gaps - this

need not necessarily be as part of the magazine committee, so we are hopeful that a volunteer can assist us in finding someone to make sure that this revenue stream is maintained.

Rev. Bernard updates us on everything from Social Events to the vital Mission Work of the Church and we are grateful for his wise words during magazine planning meetings.

Our regular contributors, Peter and Jill Crawford continue to supply insights into times past and interviews from times present, for which we thank them. Our grateful thanks also go to Johnsons the printers who not only produce an excellent quality publication but also enable us to keep the cost at £1, enabling many people to receive a copy and be part of the outreach that the magazine provides.

Annie Coombs and Dot Roxby continue to write interesting and informative articles accompanied by the photographs that our readers tell us bring the stories to life, so we are grateful to Annie, Chris Driver and all of you that e-mail in photographs of Church events and items of interest for possible use in future editions. Please continue to send us your pictures and any articles, comments and snippets of family news that make the magazine something that our readers look forward to receiving. Thank you.

Alison Long

Visitors' Centre I usually begin my report by saying "after a long earned winter break our volunteers are fully charged and enthusiastically waiting to get behind the shop counter to once again greet customers, old and new". Well this year will be no different except to say that Margaret and I, after over twenty years of dedicated service, will no longer be involved in the day to day running of the Church Shop/Visitors' Centre and my smiling face will no longer be detected behind the shop counter.

It was on 30th September 1996, under the instruction of the then Rector, Canon Richard Price, that I nervously attended my first Visitors' Centre Committee meeting. It was at this meeting that a Mr. Herbert Rowsell declared that "any

new member of this committee must volunteer to work in the church shop". The rest, as they say, is history.

I personally have felt it a great privilege to be associated with the Church Shop. From meeting the many visitors who enter our beautiful church and call into the shop, to the person who came in and said to me "I want to pray but do not know how to". Of course we then have the individuals who come in for a warm drink but have no money with them, or those who are so hungry that a handful of biscuits is more than sustenance to them. St. Mary's Church Shop/Visitors' Centre is not all about making a profit; our role is firstly to be a welcoming hand to serve all God's family and I have always been touched by the words of our signature hymn "The Servant Song" - Brother, Sister let me serve you.

Margaret does so much behind the scenes servicing the shop with tea, coffee, milk, biscuits, paying all our suppliers, keeping all the accounts in order and preparing the year end accounts and of course catering for the visiting parties that have a guided tour of the church. A very big thank you to Margaret.

A special mention must be made to the Visitors' Centre Committee all of whom have their designated role to play and of course over the years have extended their help and support to Margaret and myself.

On Wednesday 31st July 2018 we joined the regular Wednesday 11.00am communicants for our Shop Celebration Service. Although, due to the service clashing with Nantwich Show, the attendance was not too good, the service led by our Rector Mark, was seen as a welcome return to enthuse our ministry within the Church Shop.

It is with the assistance of our dedicated volunteer team that we have been able, since 1990, to contribute over £90,000 to St. Mary's Restoration and Development Fund - a truly worthwhile achievement.

This year's trading has been on a similar par to that of the previous year, again producing a small profit.

It is certainly the full intention of Margaret and myself that we will give all our help and support possible to Anne Metcalfe and her team during the transitional period to ensure a smooth takeover and we will always be on hand to offer our assistance when needed. We sincerely wish Anne and her team all the very best for the future.

To the volunteer staff, past and present, I have worked with over the years I say a very big thank you, your company and words have always meant so much, it

has been a joy to work with you. The volunteers who are no longer with us will always be in our thoughts. Only recently Margaret and I were talking about some, they certainly have left a big impression in our memories.

What a great establishment the Church Shop/Visitors' Centre has been to both Margaret and myself and - WHAT OF THE FUTURE? WE WILL BE GUIDED.

Nigel Winzer

Visits Organiser The year turned out to be an interesting and rewarding one in which we hosted nine visits. The "Halesowen Friends and Pilgrims Group" ended their tour with a small service in which Graham and I were invited to join, finishing with singing "Amazing Grace". During May we welcomed Father Andrew Moss and six Ordinands who, after their church tour, celebrated Mass in the Chancel. (Approval was given). I am grateful for Rose's help in arranging this, with both of us wondering if this was the first such occasion in St. Mary's since the Reformation? In October forty-two members of the "Friends of Chester Cathedral" paid us a visit finishing with a delicious Afternoon Tea provided by Margaret (Winzer) and her team. This visit was helped by Andrew Lamberton who thankfully stepped in to bolster the team of guides. The visits started and finished with local groups beginning with the Dabbers Dames WI and ending with the Nantwich Townswomens' Guild. All the visits were different in their ways but very satisfying.

I am sorry that Lewis (Goodrich) has had to retire from our small team due to family health problems. Lewis was an experienced guide and will be greatly missed. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Graham (Wilson) for his help and assistance with the tours backed with his expert knowledge gained from years of service to St. Mary's. Finally thank you Gail for taking on more of the arrangements for me as this can be quite a task on some occasions, it is really appreciated and very helpful. Ray Morris

School Party Visits

Each year at St. Mary's Church we are fortunate to be able to welcome local Primary Schools and those from around the area who come to our church for an educational visit.

We work alongside the Nantwich Museum to give the children an enjoyable experience and a close look at the history of our church and the history of the town.

The guided tour of the church lasts around an hour. When booking a visit, the teachers are asked which subjects they would like our experienced School Party Guides to cover and this usually includes the History of the Church. Our guides are used to children and the visit is constructed to suit the age of the children visiting us.

The children are asked what happens in church and are encouraged to read from the lectern and pulpit and to take part in other activities. Singing is always popular. We try to make the visit a lot of fun with a subtle Christian message.

In 2018 we had visits from 3 local schools with a total of 118 Yr. 2 Primary School children.

Our regular guides are Rev. Gordon & Dot Roxby, Pat Stalker, Rev. David & Lynne Marsh, Rosemary Harris. Rosemary Harris

Youth and Children's Groups

Sunday Clubs - These groups meet during the 9:30am service on Sunday mornings.

Church Mice is for children aged 0-3 years and parents are welcome to stay with their children. Church Mice is an opportunity for young children to find out about the Bible and to learn more about God's love for them. Each session includes story time, craft activities and singing. Having only

recently restarted this group, the numbers have been unpredictable, but providing space for young families in St. Nicholas' Chapel has been a great

opportunity to serve families, no matter how young the children. From 12 weeks to 3 years, this has become a fun safe space for families to dwell.

Launch Pad is for children in Key Stage 1 (Reception-Yr. 2) or age 4-7 years. Children usually attend the group on their own. The children have fun together, learning about faith through Bible stories, games, craft activities and drama. This term has been exciting for Launch Pad, planting their own cress seeds, searching for lost treasure and learning about celebrating and how Jesus did that at the Last Supper. These children are engaging on profound levels and it is so exciting to see them grow!

Orbit is for children in Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6) or age 7-11 years. Most of the group love to play at least one game or do an activity to start! We use Bible stories, drama, games, and discussion and craft activities. Orbit sessions are always lively, friendly and fun! Highlights include hula hoop races,

sorry prayer, and a Passover meal (Grape juice & Crackers.) This group is probably the biggest of the Sunday Clubs with an average of 7 children a week.

Gravity is for young people between 11 and 18yrs. It is an opportunity for young people to gather together and "do life". We spend our time thinking about real life applications of the Bible and how we can use our Faiths for good. We normally have about 5 young people plus leaders.

Mid-week Groups

Little Fish restarted in February of this year. We have been looking at Bible stories which all fit around the theme of animals. These include: a whale, sheep, a pig, and this week a donkey! We now have a lovely core group of about 8 families who have been attending and enjoying the group

regularly. We enjoy drinks and snacks as well as Bible stories, singing and crafts! We have a lovely voluntary team who make the patter of little feet happen! The group meets weekly during term time on Thursdays from 10-11.30am in St. Nicholas' Chapel in church (follow the sounds of the children).

Friday Nite Live (FNL) is a group for young people in Years 7 to 13. We meet fortnightly during term time on Friday evenings, 8-9:15pm. At FNL we explore and discuss issues relating to faith and life in a friendly and informal setting. This term we have looked at Life Hacks, mission, and spent time dreaming about the future of FNL. We have a great core group of teenagers who have enjoyed the group and we are hoping to expand! We have spent time thinking about how we would like the group to grow and develop, so watch this space!

Schools Work Myself and Mark have now been into all six primary schools in the parish for assemblies this term. Ask Mark about the worth of a £10 Note! We hope to both go in separately in the summer term.

All six of these schools are booked in to come to St. Mary's during Holy Week to learn about the Story of Easter. I am continuing to develop relationships with staff at both Malbank and Brine Leas. Neither school currently has much contact from the church but we are praying for an opening. Susie Boxhall, Youth & Children's Worker