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March 2018 Issue No: 286
TWO SERVICES
THE MESSENGER
The Monthly Newsletter of St Michael’s,
Plas Newton, Chester
A good crowd gathered in St Michael’s on Sunday evening, 11th February, for an evening of
recognition and thanks for the ministry of Rob and Esther Peters over seven years, from 2010 to
2017. Bishop Keith was our visiting speaker and Anne de Reybekill led the worship.
In the time of intercession, Anne wove
into the prayers a number of personal
impressions of Rob’s ministry which she
had gathered from St Michael’s people,
and these formed the substance of our
prayers of thanksgiving: for life together;
for the ministry of Rob and Esther; for
Rob’s love of the Word; his gift of
preaching; skill of admin and planning;
his love and care for individuals.
Their three times of personal family loss
and grieving, during which they had to
travel into some heavy times but were still able to demonstrate how to “hold a Light to the Lord”
during such times.
Their loving family life together, with grandchildren. For the music he made and played, and for
his humour and tolerance. For his emails and his attention to detail. For his love of football and
(occasional) BCP liturgy. Our prayer time ended with thanks for the human people that they were
amongst us, and closed as we prayed for the appointment of a new vicar, and for all the
processes that are now needed.
Bishop Keith then spoke to the congregation, beginning with a prayer for all involved and for all
our hearts, for healing and forgiveness. Bishop Keith concluded with a prayer “that St Michael’s
may continue to know God’s restoration and joy as we put our trust in God”.
After a time of sung worship, Bishop Keith incorporated all three readings from the evening as he
preached from 1 Corinthians 15 (see page 2 overleaf).
It had been both an uplifting service of worship of our God, and also a moving thanksgiving for
the service in ministry of Rob and Esther.
A memorable evening in St Michael’s
TWO SERMONS Morning and Evening of 11th February in St Michael’s
Martin Smith (Diocesan Adviser in Christian Giving, and member of St
Michael’s). Martin’s title at the morning service was “Reflections on
Generosity”, 2 Corinthians 8: 1-15.
It is exciting to talk about giving because of the excitement to build God’s
kingdom. What are we giving for? Managing decline or resourcing God’s work
now and in the future? What motivates us to give? John Newton’s famous
hymn: ‘When I survey the wondrous cross...my richest gain I count but loss.’
Amy Carmichael: ‘You can give without loving, but you cannot love without
giving.’ These two great saints say the same thing... it is giving from the heart that motivates
and drives us.
The early church in Jerusalem got it right: no one claimed the possessions as their own, but they
shared everything. And in Macedonia, they gave as much as they were able. It was King David
who said, ‘I will not sacrifice that which cost me nothing.’ There is no better example than Jesus
himself, as Paul said in 2 Cor 8:9, ‘For you know the grace of Jesus, that though he was rich, yet
for your sake he became poor.’
How do we know if we are really giving generously? Some practical yardsticks are available as
questions. Is what I give a realistic proportion of my income? Does what I give make any
impact on my lifestyle? Is it a priority of what I receive (not leftovers)? And one final question to
ponder: If the amount I give was given back to me, would it make a real difference to me?
Bishop Keith (Bishop of Birkenhead)
I want to give to all of you in St Michael’s Psalm 126. ‘When the Lord
brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.’ It is
essentially a prayer that one day God’s promises will be truly available to
us, that we may enter his presence one day.
This links with another passage in the scriptures in Job 3:20 ff: Job asks
‘Why is light given to those in misery and life to the bitter in soul?’ The
Bible is so real, and it doesn’t avoid pain. It encourages honesty in us, not
the putting up of defences.
The Lord knows this because of 1 Corinthians 15:54 ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’
Jesus is the one in whom we have faith, because he has risen, and we can experience this
ourselves. This gospel message saved Rob and led him into a life of marriage and ministry. At
no point do we minimise sin and death, but as Christ’s people we engage in forgiveness and life.
Nothing takes away from the reality of this gospel which Rob so consistently shared with all. We
honour all that the Lord has done with him. All believers have this inheritance of resurrection
life.
Ash Wednesday lies just ahead. This is a day that speaks of moving from the darkest of places
to the highest place of all. Grace and mercy move us to new and eternal life. Paul wrote in
Philippians 3 of his determination: ‘This one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind... I press on
to the heavenly realm.’ My prayer is that all in St Michael’s will undertake this same journey.
MY LIFE AND MY FAITH
I was born in Liverpool in the 1970s to Bob
and Pam Toan. Along with my two brothers,
we were brought up to attend church. We
moved around a lot when I was small, but
wherever we were, we always went to church.
When I was about four
years old, Dad trained to
become a vicar at Oak Hill
Theological College in
London, and then went on
to do his curacy at
St. Mary’s, Upton on the
Wirral. Here, I joined the
choir, and at the age of
seven I encountered Jesus
personally for the first time,
when The Children’s
Christian Crusade held a
week-long evangelist
meeting there.
After Dad had finished his curacy we moved to
St Peter’s, Rock Ferry. It was here that my
faith grew; this was helped by the brilliant
teaching from the Sunday School, Pathfinder
and church youth group leaders. My brothers
and I were very blessed as teenagers; the
leaders at St Peter’s were always willing to talk
and engage in open and honest discussion and
questions.
At Birkenhead Town Hall I attended a monthly
interdenominational youth meeting, and later a
Rock Worship service was held at our own
church. I also went to Crossfire, an annual
Christian festival held at Aintree race course. It
was a bit like Greenbelt, with big name
Christian bands, worship and seminars. It was
also during this time that I joined a Christian
dance group called Eternal Dance. We danced
at churches across the Wirral and the North-
west, as well as in the streets of Birkenhead. I
was open with my friends about my faith and,
although I was shy, I always invited them to
things.
During my time at university and
for about four years afterwards, I
lost my way and stopped going to
church except when I visited
home. I didn’t pray or read my
Bible so much, but all the time I
was aware that there were people
praying for me, and I kept coming
back to Psalm 121, ‘I lift my eyes
to the hills - where does my help
come from? My help comes from
the Lord, the Maker of heaven and
earth…The Lord will keep you
from harm - he will watch over
your life.’ Despite everything, I knew God was
my Father and would welcome me back with
arms wide open.
Not long after returning to Chester in January
2004, I met Stuart through my brother Ben.
We married in November 2005, Stuart and I
continue to attend St Michael’s church and are
grateful for the support that people there have
given us.
My faith in my Father God has continued to
grow. Stuart and I have been youth leaders
and children’s work helpers and we have also
served on the coffee rota. We adopted three
lovely boys and this is something that I
continue to be grateful to God for. If it had not
been for God’s love, patience and the peace
that he gives me daily, I think that my
continuing journey as his daughter, and the
mother of his little children, would be much
more difficult.
Jenny Davies shares her life and faith
THANK YOU FROM STYAL
Following a Chester Deanery Clergy visit to HMP Styal,
Canon Paul Dawson suggested that the Deanery might
like to support the work of the chaplaincy by collecting
underwear and small size travel toiletries. Some
parishes took this on enthusiastically and the photo
shows just some of the boxes being delivered in
December 2017 by Paul Dawson from St Mary’s,
Handbridge and Anne Stockdale (not shown as she took
the photo) from St Michael’s, Plas Newton.
95% of all the donations came from St Mary’s and
St Michael’s. Both parishes took up this challenge
magnanimously and we filled Paul’s car to the roof, so
well done and thank you St Michael’s folk. Rev Yvonne
Yates, (on the right) chaplain, HMP and YOI Styal, has
written a lovely thank you letter for our generous gifts,
explaining that many of the women there have few who
care for them personally. Staff in the reception area
were delighted to receive all the underwear, to give out
as the women arrive. Often the women have only the clothes they stand up in. The chaplaincy
also made up small gift parcels to give to the Christmas Day congregation and told them where
the gifts had come from.
Yvonne writes, “It is so important to our women that they recognise that people in the faith
communities outside are thinking about them and caring. For many of the women no-one does
care. ”
“Some of the women performed the Nativity (Styal version, where Jesus was born in Styal Prison
in 2017) in our Carol Service last Wednesday evening and so we made up some little gift bags for
the performers from the donations you gave to us. They were so thrilled and touched. They had
shown great commitment in writing and performing the drama and it was extremely powerful for
those of us who watched.”
Anne Stockdale reports on a Deanery Initiative
The Bible in 50 Words
God made, Adam bit, Noah arked, Abraham split, Joseph ruled,
Jacob fooled, bush talked, Moses balked, Pharaoh plagued,
people walked, sea divided, tablets guided, promise landed,
Saul freaked, David peeked, prophets warned,
Jesus born, God walked, love talked, anger crucified, hope died,
Love rose, Spirit flamed, Word spread, God remained.
Kate Coleman will be our speaker at the Houseparty in May
The date of our next church weekend is rapidly
approaching. Friday 4th to Sunday
6th May will see over a hundred of
us gather at Cloverley Hall.
This year we are privileged to
have Kate Coleman coming to
speak at the main sessions with
Pulse Ministries heading up the
Children´s and Youth sessions.
There´s a team of special visitors booked for
some fantastic family entertainment on the
Saturday night.
Kate has been the Chair of the Evangelical
Alliance and is a former President of the
Baptist Union, and a Baptist minister. A
popular speaker and lecturer, Kate has
gained a reputation as a visionary and an
inspiration to many. She is a strategic
advisor who mentors, coaches and
supports leaders and organisations locally,
nationally and internationally. Kate will be
sharing with us how we can become more
effective followers of Jesus.
There are a few places still available for the
weekend. We´d love you to join us!
Pick up a leaflet from church or contact Andy
Thorne on 07976 314081 or
[email protected] for more details.
THE GLORY OF THE CROSS BY TIM CHESTER
Reflections for Lent from the Gospel of John
If you have not yet started to read anything for Lent this year, this book
might be one to try. Tim Chester writes in a very clear and engaging
way that is, at the same time, quite challenging. Perhaps you read and
remember his books for Advent from previous years?
What is standing in the way of our seeing the true glory of Jesus? In his
introduction to the book Tim says that “..seeing the glory of God in the
person of Jesus is not straightforward. For one thing, whatever you think
glory looks like, it doesn’t look like the battered and bloodied man we
see on Good Friday... Yet John (in his gospel) is clear... The Cross is
Christ’s glory.”
Tim takes us through John’s gospel with 47 days of short reflections,
together with hymns and prayers, old and new. Each week there is a key episode from Jesus’
earthly ministry to explore. The Sunday reading gives the whole of the Bible passage and then
in subsequent days through the week there are reflections on a part of it, in more depth.
Each week has a heading. The first is ‘Seeing the Kingdom of God’, moving on to ‘Seeing the
Bread of Life’, ‘the Good Shepherd’, ‘the Resurrection and the Life’, ‘the Glory of the Cross’, ‘the
Crucified King’ and then finally ‘The Triumph of the Cross’. We are taken on a journey with
Jesus to the foot of the cross, and as we do so we are invited to gaze at Christ in all his glory.
The Glory of the Cross is published by the Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com, and is
available from bookshops or online, price £6.99.
ABOUT St MICHAEL’S
A previous Vicar, Bob Toan (1999-
2009), chatting after he had been
our preacher at the Ash Wednesday
Holy Communion.
We enjoyed a visit from Jakynai Nazarova, from Kyrgy-
stan, pictured with Olive Frost and Anne de Reybekill.
Chatter and Natter at
the Café on Thursday
and Friday afternoons.
Cyclists gather in the Café in mid
January.
Puppets on stage in our morning
worship on 4th February.
ST MICHAEL’S NEWS Church at Prayer
Please be reminded that Church at Prayer will
take place at 8pm on Wednesday 7th March in
the church centre.
Progress with the Appointment Process
The Parish Profile is due to be put before the
PCC on 26th February. Thence it should be
used as a basis for advertising the post, as well
as forming an important part of the Information
Pack. Our Patron, David Bailey of the Simeon
Trustees, will be engaging importantly in the
process at this point.
Chester Bible Focus
This will take place at 7.30pm on Tuesday 6th
and Wednesday 7th March in
All Saints Church, Hoole. The
speaker will be Jonathan
Lamb, and over the two
nights, he will deliver four
Bible expositions from the
book of Ruth entitled ‘Reading
between the lines’.
Jonathan Lamb has held
senior positions in a range
of organisations, including
UCCF, Keswick Ministries,
and Langham Partnership.
He is the author of several
books.
Electoral Roll
It is the time of year when the roll is updated,
from 4th—25th March. If you would like to be
included, then look out for the necessary
paperwork at the back of church. Or more
directly, contact our Electoral Roll Officer, Jackie
Hockley, in the office (tel 315129).
Foodbank
West Cheshire Foodbank have recently been in
touch to say a big ‘thank you’ to St Michael’s for
the 1098 kg of food that we donated in 2017
which supported 85 people in need.
TOGS
The Spring and Summer Session of TOGS has
recently begun. Amongst
other items on the new
programme is a talk on
March 7th by Anne de
Reybekill entitled ‘Glimpses
of Pakistan’.
TOGS meet in the Café on
Wednesday afternoons at
3.00pm. Please contact Pam
Black if you would like more information.
Youth Prayer Meeting
All are invited to gather to pray for the children,
youth & families within our church &
community on the 2nd Friday of the month,
7-8am upstairs in Room 1 (the Youth Office),
beginning on Friday 9th March.
Easter Celebrations in St Michael’s
Watch out for announcements of events and
services being planned for Maundy Thursday,
Good Friday and Easter Day.
From the Registers
Baptism
Marlowe Robin Morgan,
Totland Grove, Newton.
Baptised 28 January.
We welcome this young one in the name of
Christ.
Sun (4) LENT 3
8.00am Holy Communion
10.00am Morning Worship
- Trevor Park
6.30pm Evening Service
- Julie Ellison
Mon (5) 7.30pm Standing
Committee
Tue (6) 7.30pm Chester Bible Focus
(All Saints Hoole)
Wed (7) 7.30pm with Jonathan
Lamb
Wed (7) 8.00pm Church at Prayer
(Church)
Sun (11) MOTHERING SUNDAY
10.00am All Age Worship
- Ruth McKew
6.30pm Evening Service
- Rod Smith
Mon (12) 10.45am Holy Communion
(Kingswood)
7.30pm World Mission
Committee
(Church)
Sat (17) 8.00am PCC Prayer
Breakfast (Lounge)
Sun (18) LENT 5
8.00am Holy Communion
10.00am Holy Communion
- Ian Hobbs
6.30pm Evening Service
- Christine
Blackmore
Mon (19) 7.30pm PCC meeting (Café)
Sun (25) PALM SUNDAY
10.00am Morning Worship
- Bec Benson
6.30pm Holy Communion
with prayer for
healing
- Ian Hobbs
Tue (27) 7.30pm Ministry Team
(Coniston)
Thur (29) Maundy Thursday
7.30pm Holy Communion
- Les Austin
Fri (30) Good Friday
10.00am All Age Worship
- Anne de Reybekill
VICAR: Vacant
WARDENS:
Steve McKew 01829 271974
Derek Taylor 383428
DEPUTY WARDENS:
Graham Cooper 316746
Estelle Byrne 341774
YOUTH AND CHILDREN’S WORKER
Sas McConville 07460 422226
PCC SECRETARY:
Alison Pantony 380962
TREASURER:
John Allan 07948 401925
HALL BOOKINGS:
Mary Webster 343981
CHURCH MAGAZINE: David Blackmore 323494
CHURCH OFFICE: 315129
Open for enquiries: Mon & Tues 9.30am –3.00pm Thur & Fri 10.00am—5.30pm
BOOK KEEPER:
Fiona Prichard (Mon & Tues) 344276
Email: [email protected]
CHURCH SECRETARY:
Jackie Hockley (Thurs & Fri) 347860
Email: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.stmichaelschester.com
FOR YOUR INFORMATION ...
DIARY DATES – MARCH