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Believe it or not it is Summer (not that you would know it from looking out of the window!) We’ve had a busy couple of months with fundraising activities and working with our schools, so it feels like it is time for us all to take the opportunity to take things a little more slowly.
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Junior Church, St Peter’s Playtime and some of our Home Groups are having a break until September, and I know a lot of us will taking a bit of time off and getting away for some much needed rest and relaxation. Sunday and Wednesday services will continue over the Summer but with a few less communion services during August.
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Rest is a really important part of the rhythm of life that God gives us. Even at the very beginning of creation, God built in time for rest. And, as Jesus reminded his critics in the gospels, rest is God’s gift to us. We cannot serve God or others if the well that we are drawing from is dry. And so, I would like to encourage us all over the summer to take some time to cultivate the habits and practices that sustain us spiritually.
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Some people find it helpful to take a spiritual inventory, asking ourselves questions such as:
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- How close do I feel to God right now?
- Where does prayer and reading scripture fit into my walk with God?
- What practices help me to feel close to God and how am I making space for them in my life?
- How am I growing in the Fruit of the Spirit? Is there a particular area that I need God’s help with? (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control)
- Is it time for me to take the next step in faith in baptism, confirmation, or admission to communion (children who are baptised by not yet ready to be confirmed)?
- What might God be calling me to at this stage in my life?
- How am I learning and growing in my faith and what resources might help me to do that more? (books, podcasts, home groups etc.)
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These are questions are not supposed to make us feel judged or guilty in any way but they are a simple way of enabling us to see where we might want to focus in on a little bit. My suggestion is not to tackle all of those things but to identify on area to give a little bit more attention to as we move into the second half of the year. None of this is meant to be onerous and if you just need to take time out to be still, that’s okay too.
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My prayer for each of us this summer is that we would rest well and know deeply that we are loved by God. So go easy on yourself and know that God delights in you today and always.
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Congratulations
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A huge congratulations to Ann and Philip Walls who are now officially Licenced Lay Ministers (Readers with Permission to Officiate) at our church. Obviously Ann and Philip have been part of our church and have been serving for a while but we are absolutely delighted to welcome them officially as part of the team.
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They join a fantastic team, some with official titles and some not. Although we are celebrating the official beginning of a new ministry amongst us, we want each of you to know how appreciated you are in the different areas that you serve.
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It is also possible that some of you are feeling the nudge of God to serve in a particular area. If you are, please come and speak to Jess and she would be delighted to help you in the discernment process.
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Youth work
We are planning to set up a youth group on a Sunday evening for 11–17-year-olds (term time only) after the summer break but we are still short of volunteers to be able to make this possible. If you think that this is something that you could help with even if it is not every week, please let Jess know as soon as possible. There will be a chance to socialise, to have fun, and to think about faith together in a relaxed way.
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Please note that all roles working with children and young people are subject to safer recruitment processes and a DBS check.
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Bees
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We now have some bees living at the bottom of the churchyard cared for by James. We are thrilled to have them as we play our part in caring for God’s creation. You are welcome to take a look from a safe distance but please don’t disturb them as we want them to thrive and flourish in their new home. If you would like to know more about the bees, please speak to Jess or Andy and they will be able to put you in touch with James.
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Prayer ministry team
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We are looking to reform our ministry teams to offer individual prayer after our services. In September we are looking to refresh our training. If you are currently part of the ministry team or would like to be part of the ministry team, please could you contact Jess or Wendy so that we know who we have got. Once we have got a definitive list of names, we will arrange a training date.
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Communication
Communication is always a huge challenge for churches and, whilst we have improved this recently, we recognise that we still have a way to go in this area. It would be really helpful as we continue to improve and develop our communications if you could tell us what is working well, what isn’t working so well, and any suggestions to help us to improve what we currently do.
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If you could feed this back to Jess preferably by email or a written note if you do not have easy access to email so that we can collate the comments and look at feasible ways forward. Feel free to think outside of the box and if, if there is enough demand and we can facilitate it within our resources, we will look at including it within our regular communications.
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Home Groups
Are you part of a home group? If not, would you like to join a home group?
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We have four thriving home groups within our church. They are a great way of sharing fellowship together as well as being a great way for us to grow together in faith. If you would like to join a home group, please speak to one of our home group leaders for more information.
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- Andy Rhodes – Monthly Sunday Afternoon
- Wendy Harper – Fortnightly Tuesday Afternoon
- Ann and Philip Walls – Weekly Thursday Afternoon
- Alison Sowden – Fortnightly Tuesday Evening
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There is also a Zoom group host by St Saviour’s church on a Monday evening. Speak to Jess if you would like more details.
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Getting in touch
Jess Davis (priest-in-charge)
Email: vicar@stpetersbirstall.co.uk
Phone / Text / WhatsApp – 07949226508
(when Jess is on annual leave, the wardens are the first point of contact)
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And finally
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We hope you enjoyed this newsletter. If you have suggestions for things we can put in it please do get in touch.
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Thanks for reading. God bless you all.
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St Peter's Church, Birstall
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