October 2024Dear Friends in the Uttoxeter Area What’s red with big eyes, one leg and a blade ? No! Not a knife blade - a blade to run on! It’s the mascot for the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Last week we had the opportunity to go to Paris and see some of the wheelchair tennis, part of the sports celebration and competition that is the Olympics and Paralympics. It was very impressive - lots of athletes, lots of spectators and lots of volunteer helpers all enjoying themselves and the sport. The dedication, the commitment, the enthusiasm, the sheer hard work which goes into training for the Olympics and Paras is amazing, humbling, and occasionally a bit shocking to see the physical challenges that some people are up against. Just the amount of kit they need – not only the massive racquet bag; but tennis players come onto court in one wheelchair; and then swap to the special wheelchair with stabilising wheels which prevent them from tipping up as they turn a tight corner. There are lots of sporting metaphors in the Bible and the commitment of sportsmen and women has lots to teach us about the Christian life too. At one time those with physical or mental health difficulties would have been ostracised by society, but Jesus teaches us to value and celebrate all Gods people. It is good that some parts of the world are reflecting that, even if they don’t give all the credit to God and the Gospel message. In our Christian life we too may be athletes, spectators or volunteers (and sometimes we can be all three at the same time), we have the challenge of living the message of the love of God and bringing it to those we meet. In the Uttoxeter Area there are people with different skills and gifts and there are different types of services too. Some will find one style of worship more helpful, but people are always welcome- athletes, spectators and workers. I am mostly involved in leading the 6pm service at Uttoxeter which takes place on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sundays in the month, it is fairly informal and a bit different each week with the words to the hymns and songs on the screen. If you are a bit curious or find 6pm is a convenient time, please come along and join us, you will be very welcome. Happy October! I hope to have a chat with many of you in the next few months.With best wishes Lucy Lucy Toyn Reader in Uttoxeter Area
AREA LETTER – July, 2024Dear Friends,Most of us can’t help but notice that there are some momentous events taking place this month, of either national political or sporting importance, both in this country and a little further afield; the General Election in the UK, the Football Euros Championship in Germany and the Olympic Games in Paris and the Tour de France, just to name but a few. It may be for some that both sorts of events are a ‘turn off’, but for most I expect, depending on the progress of individuals or ‘teams’, then interest is sparked and grows. Whatever your interest, I hope that we all wish the participants well as they seek success.In each of the events we will see emblems or logos, be it the overarching symbol of the event or of individual parties or nations. The Euro logo has the trophy surrounded by an oval of colours, representing the national colours of the participating nations. However, for me, the most striking and enduring logo is the five interlinked circles of the Olympic Games, representing the five continents of the world, and of the motto, which originally was Faster – Higher – Stronger, but since 2021 has added to it -Together. The logo and motto express the aspirations of the Olympic Movement and of its participants.These logos represent a unity of purpose at a national and individual level and whilst individuals will shine, they cannot succeed without being part of a team. Winning is a little hollow if you’re the only person, team or party participating. We see the results of this played out throughout our troubled world. Yes, in competition there will be winners and losers, but that’s all part of being together. I’m reminded of the acronym TEAM, which stands for ‘Together everyone achieves more’ and I believe we can and do this if we are together.It is ‘togetherness’ that is for me the most important aspect of our Christian faith. Jesus had a team of twelve around him, each person different and with different aspirations, but they had a closeness and bond together and Jesus gave them the impetus to go out into the world to preach the good news of the gospel. It is as a result of their efforts that we are here in our time to carry on that work of spreading the good news in our part of God’s wonderful creation. We do that here as the Benefice of the Uttoxeter Area of Churches – Together (this word added like it’s been added to the Olympic motto!). It can seem daunting and at times like treading through treacle, but we are all together on this journey of hope, yes, each of with our individual gifts of the Holy Spirit; but we can’t achieve much on our own - we are part of a team and we need to participate, listen, care, love, build that closeness and bond to grow together to achieve more.In the story of creation in the Holy Bible, we can come to understand that God’s intent was that we should be together in community, in communion with one another, symbolized in the co-existence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which we celebrate throughout the church’s long season of Trinity, but which existed together right at the beginning of time. All this is set in another logo of unity and purpose as well as individuality and togetherness.....Best Wishes and BlessingsRevd. Charles Dale (PTO)
Hello friends, Many of you will know that I am a big dabbler in model railways and over the last few months have been preparing an old shed to move my model railway layout into. Joy of joys the first train ran yesterday although there is still some work to do to make it operate how I want it to. Why do so many people find an escape in building a model railway, or any other model?. Many of us still dwell on our past history and the only real way of bringing it back is in creating our own vision of it whether that be a diorama, a model or even a piece of artwork. It all brings back long forgotten memories. Other reasons are seeing God’s creation out of our windows inspiring us to recreate it in model form or looking at our world slowly pulling itself apart we wish to create our own mini world just as we would like it. Over the past few weeks, I have been asked questions about my ministry. The first was at Talbot School, Kingstone when I was asked by Jess along with three others from across the Area to talk about the work we do in the week in relation to our calling as God’s disciples. After the grilling from the young pupils, it made me stop and think about what I do and how I could improve on my ministry or if it is right for this present moment in my life. I am afraid this is going to be a rather longish reflection. The second was during a visit to Wetherspoons where I was asked how I was called to be a priest. Was it a sudden demand by God or a gradual realising that I was being called to minister to God’s people? What has all this to do with Model railways and ministry? I think in our hearts of hearts we would all enjoy living in a perfect world. The big question for us all is how do we achieve this? I feel the answer lies in the question what would Jesus do in this present time? I don’t think it would be much different to what he did when he was alive. He would talk and listen to people, healing them with words of wisdom or miracles. He would pray for them and the world and encourage all his followers to do the same. How we take up this challenge from Jesus affects us all in many ways. We are all different with different skills and abilities. Discerning these gifts, skills and abilities from God and putting them to use is what Jesus would pray for. Whether this is for a few minutes a day or a few hours a week, whether in church or in the community, whether at home or abroad, just being who and what we are for Jesus is all we need to do. And just like modellers world-wide we may just be able to begin changing our community and world for the better.May God bless you in all that you do in his name,Chris.Revd Chris Brown, non-stipendiary minister for the Uttoxeter Area.
As I sat listening to the exploits and explorations of someone else’s recent holiday the other night I was in awe of their confidence in embracing an adventure which I would never contemplate doing myself. They’d been to an area of the world which has been associated with conflict, drugs and trouble for backpackers. They had researched carefully and had then gone with a reputable travel firm who led them through every change of venue and adventure taking then through the jungle, close up to elephants and much more. A few years ago, they would never have had that confidence but by using the same travel firm and travelling with the same partner gradually working from European destinations to further flung ones they had jumped the hurdle, shed their worries and gone for it clearly now buzzing from the consequences.As they were away the summer school term had started with pupils telling me that Easter was over, they’d finished all their chocolate eggs long ago! But, as far as the church is concerned, the Easter season isn’t over – not until Ascension Day (9th May) and Pentecost (19th May) have been celebrated. So, from Easter Day until Pentecost the awe, wonder and mystery of Jesus’ Resurrection and its aftermath can be revisited. For 40 days after the discovery of nobody in the tomb Jesus reappeared to his disciples and a select few others. These witnesses were then able to testify and give first hand evidence to others of the encounters. Was God presenting Jesus in this way to build an evidence bank able to withstand sceptics? When Jesus ascended to his Father finally (Acts 1/Luke 24) and the crowds 10 days later experienced the powerful events of Pentecost (Acts 2) which brought the Holy Spirit to them, the disciples and the early Christian believers had a platform from which to share the magnificence and wonder of their saviour. I doubt they could explain the events and mystery any better than we can today. They needed to take that step of faith and run with it on the evidence presented by others who were the first witnesses. Today, we still build faith on taking a conscious step into the unknown to experience what believing can do for us. To my mind faith is very similar to the holiday exploration that I highlighted earlier. Our Christian knowledge is built on others’ past experiences, but our own confidence in articulating and sharing our faith is built gradually by personal encounters, reading the Bible, hearing what others have to say and discussing our thoughts. I hope you can venture out to seek new experiences and find the wonder in both your faith and in God’s vast and varied world during this summer. Perhaps engage in one or more of these ideas: check out the Christian Aid website (Christian Aid week is 12th – 18th May this year) where you can find inspiring stories from around the world as well as donate to their work; Join us at the Ascension Day Area service at St Mary’s, Uttoxeter; find out about a Bible study near you; take time to think about how faith helps you in your daily living. Stephanie Goodwin – UAP Reader
Happy New Year! Although I have just had a very happy 2023…… I was 60, and spent some of our weekends through the year visiting friends and wider family to have “proper” time with them, rather than the big party or the special holiday. And it’s been great. But I’m not the only one in our churches across the Area who turned 60 in 2023! We babes of ’63 include a church treasurer, two school governors, two members of a catering team, an ATC rep, a PCC secretary, two Toddler group volunteers, an Occasional Preacher (formally Area Worship Team), three PCC members, oh and an Area Coordinator. Some of us are still in paid work too, maybe full-time, or maybe part-time. Some of us are blessed as grandparents with local grandchildren so are helping with family child-care. Some of us are struggling with ill-health and are not able to do as much as we could when we were 50. But we’re still doing what we can. And we’re only 60. So if you hear people bemoan the aging nature of the churches’ congregations, please don’t include us in that! We may be at the latter end of middle age, but we don’t have a bus pass yet and we’re busy doing and being and serving as committed Christians in our communities, as much as we can. Our faith matters, our service in our churches matters, and we are looking forward to whatever is ahead in our next decade. We are no doubt excited yet fearful, eager yet tired, and ready for changes yet wondering what they might be. I hope that you are excited, and eager and ready for new opportunities in your life too. Let’s pray for each other, and enjoy! Lesley White, In the congregation of St Mary’s Uttoxeter.
Dear friends,What does Harvest mean to you?It’s fair to say that our experiences of Harvest will vary according to our context and background, and that our understanding of Harvest has changed over time. Traditionally, Harvest was a time of hard work bringing in the crops which had been carefully tended throughout the summer, followed by the opportunity to celebrate the fruits of those labours with a church service and a Harvest feast. For those living in rural areas, or who work in agriculture, or those who grow produce in their gardens, community orchards or allotments, Harvest will continue to mean much the same. Growing produce is no mean feat, and those who live and work on the land very much know the delicate balance of the right weather, good soil and careful timing which results in a successful crop. A bountiful Harvest is a true cause for celebration, for both the work of the farmers and the providence of our good God.But those of us less connected with how our food is grown and produced (which I suspect is a large majority of us), will experience Harvest differently. Food is generally bought in a shop, with little knowledge of the energies that have gone into producing it. With the ability to ship produce across the globe, we are not always bound by what crops are in season, or by worries about whether the weather has been kind this year. I remember one all-age talk I experienced many years ago where the leader held up a bunch of bananas and asked, “where do these come from?” “Tesco!*” a young child enthusiastically replied! Some have argued that Harvest Festivals are less relevant these days. However, I’d disagree! Being increasingly disconnected from the origins of our food, it’s very important to consciously take time to pause and give thanks for the food we so often take for granted and those who have laboured to produce it. Our Harvest Festivals may have evolved quite a bit in recent years, with an emphasis on bringing non-perishable packets and tinned goods rather than the fat marrows, potatoes and cauliflowers of yesteryear, but the principle remains the same: to give thanks for our food, for those who have worked to produce it, and for God’s goodness in providing it. And of course, our proper response to God’s generosity to us is to be generous to others. After all, “ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” we hear in Matthew’s gospel. Traditional Harvest Festivals included giving to the poor and needy. Today we do the same as we share our food with local Foodbanks and other projects. Let’s try to be creative with our Harvest thanksgiving this year – St Peter’s Marchington for instance will come together at their ‘Gather’ Forest Church and ask for donations of our decluttering: bedding, clothes, toiletries as well as the usual food and money donations – what will you do? What does Harvest mean to you? Every little helps!*With love,JulesRev Jules Walker, Interim Team Vicar for UAP* other supermarkets are available 😊
Dear friends,As I write this letter we have just received the news that June this year has been the hottest June since records began. We are constantly reminded that inflation is at its highest, that interest rates are still rising, that food prices are rising. In fact everything seems to be excessive. Today we are going to be doing something directly opposite to all the excesses of today’s life, we are going minimalist. August is traditionally the month when all those that can afford the time or money take their holidays. The idea being that as they take their annual break they begin to re-create themselves. In this time of re-creation they re- build their lives, mentally and physically so they can carry on with their lives for another few months. I have often remarked how the Christian year is all festivals and important events from Advent until Ascension and then seems to go quiet during ordinary time. Is God telling us this is a time when we should also be taking a spiritual rest so that we can re- create ourselves in our journey of faith? In that re-creation we also re- motivate ourselves re-discover that unending and excessive love that God has for us all. It is in this ordinary time of the lectionary that we hear of Jesus calling his disciples out, training them and sending them out into the world to heal the sick and broken spirited. I feel that this is when Jesus lets his disciples know something of his mission here on earth. This mission is something they, and we in our turn, are going to partake in. are they prepared for this mission? Is there a way they can opt out? I have not discovered anything the bible where God or Jesus gives their followers an option to remain inactive. . We are a pilgrim people always moving forward towards God’s kingdom. We are God’s children led by his son Jesus Christ to take the good news to all his people. Is this the time for us then to re- create ourselves on our journey of faith to also examine where our missionary calling from God is taking us, are we listening to what God is calling us? Are these few months of ordinary time the opening that God is providing for us to re-mould our lives into an outgoing and missionary time? As you have probably guessed the minimalistic approach is the use of the two letter prefix re. The number of words these two letters can be put before which energizes the meaning of the words is very similar to the way the word of God energizes us. If there is one thing in this life and world today that needs to be remembered for its excess is the love of God for us all, wherever we are in our journeys of faith, life and work, God is always loving us and pushing us to excess in zeal for his word. How we take up this challenge is, I feel, a personal understanding of where we are with God. As I close this letter I wish you all enjoy your time of re-creation and that it brings you home feeling re-freshed, re-motivated and re-ady (I know but it was too good to miss) to go out into the world and make disciples of all people knowing that God is with you every inch of the way.All God’s blessings,ChrisRev Chris Brown, licenced minister with PTO for Uttoxeter Area of Parishes.
‘Goodbye Jesus!’ No, this is not a late reflection on the Ascension – after all, we have entered the long season of Trinity. Trinity always seems to herald the holiday season and, give or take the few weeks of exam stress for students, feels like a time for relaxing and taking things easy. For someone, like me, who endures cold hands for the greater part of the year the long warm days of summer truly are a blessing. Life can seem so much more comfortable and calmer in what is called ‘Ordinary Time’ than the frantic period during the season from Advent to Pentecost. It may seem a little strange to refer to these long weeks as ‘ordinary’, as if they are routine or even mundane. The word ‘ordinary’ here is actually derived from the term ordinal, which refers to rank or position, especially relating to numbers. In the lectionary the Sundays have numbered ‘propers’ – but that’s probably getting too technical! Our lives tend to revolve around routine – the trivial round, the common task (as the hymn ‘New every Morning’ goes) speaks of structure and familiarity. The majority of our days can seem to be generally unremarkable, but even so we ought to catch glimpses of God’s blessings, love and maybe glory. Each day starts fresh and with the potential of hope and a sense of moving closer to God. Perhaps this should be our appreciation of ordinary time, the many chances we have to offer our lives to God, so that they may be transformed by God’s, making ours more beautiful. It can become a time for growing and maturing in faith, and becoming living examples of Christ in the places we inhabit as we understand more about the practical life of God’s Kingdom. The big challenge of our churches is growing disciples, looking for new ways of expressing and sharing the Gospel message. It’s easy to overlook the obvious sometimes, as ordinariness can feel inadequate – after all, where is the charisma in ordinary? But just occasionally we are offered a little glimpse of the impact of an ordinary life in an off the cuff remark. I am part of a team that goes into schools with Open the Book. On an ordinary morning we entered the school gates to see pupils from one year who were waiting to board a coach for a short trip. After a few light-hearted chats, and as the coach pulled up, one young lad replied to my farewell greeting with “Goodbye Jesus!” Not wishing to rise above my status, I had a wry smile, but realised that he had engaged with what we were doing through the medium of presenting the Bible in this way. He had made a connection. Who said, ‘ordinary is boring?’ Blessings John Rev John Lander, Self-supporting minister for Uttoxeter Area , based in Bramshall.
Hello,This month I’d like to focus on the work of the Uttoxeter Area of Parishes Young People’s Trust. Some of you will know it as ‘Youth Trust’ but having checked the paperwork we have been calling it by the wrong name for at least the last 12 years!The Young People’s Trust was set up before my time (so before August 2011) to fund youth work around the Area. Many individuals and PCCs kindly donated to the fund, and several still do, to the amount of £840 per annum.Up until Rev. Sue Willetts left the Area in 2016 the fund was well-used, paying for venue hire, activities and days away at Dovedale House. We also had two leaders in Sue and Andy Willetts who had experience in running youth work and they were aided by a group of enthusiastic people who volunteered at these events and largely made up the Board of Trustees for the charity. It went to pot a bit after they moved on, as we struggled to find people with the time and skills to carry on Sue’s work.However, that has now changed, with the Trust recently finding a new lease of life in supporting activities for young people around the Area and indeed the Deanery, and also joining with three other local churches in providing finance for a Christian Youth worker, Jordan Lambert.Jordan was invited to a Trust meeting to tell us about what he has been doing. His work is quite extensive, going into most of the town and village First and Middle schools to work with the young people around worship and faith issues. Jordan has been doing this work for six years locally and in the past the Anglicans have not got involved. However, Jordan started his third 3-year cycle in September 2022 and from September 2023 we will be contributing an equal ¼ share of the c.£26000 annual cost of employing Jordan (c. £6500). The other churches involved are the URC, the Methodists and the Renew Pentecostal church. Rev. Margaret has joined the management committee that supervises Jordan.As of 31/12/22 the Trust had £29309 in its account, so at the moment we have enough money. However, if Jordan (or his successor) continues for a fourth term we will need to consider how to raise more funds to meet this ongoing cost.Secondly, as a sign of good intent, the Trust offered to pay the excess for Jordan’s scheme of giving a selection box to every Primary and Middle school aged child in the Uttoxeter area, along with the members of staff. This amounted to £1193.00.Thirdly, the Trust significantly funded (£440) the Saltmine Theatre visit to two schools (St. Mary’s Uttoxeter and Ryecroft, Rocester) with their production of Bob Hartman’s The Rhyming Bible. This took place in February 2023 and other schools were able to join in as well. The reviews and feedback have been fantastic. The Trust hopes to link in with any future productions from Saltmine so that as many schools in the area as possible can benefit from this innovative expression of the Christian faith. Fourthly, the Trust has made a £200 donation to Open The Book, which is run through Churches Together Uttoxeter, and, fifthly, has offered to fund start-up costs for Cinema Church at Christ Church, Upper Tean, which is in the planning stages.This all adds up to a breath of new life for the Uttoxeter Area of Parishes Young People’s Trust and we are hugely grateful to all those who have contributed in the past, contribute in the present and hopefully will contribute in the future.Peace and prayers, Joe (Team Vicar, Uttoxeter Area of Parishes and – slightly incompetently - Uttoxeter Area of Parishes Young People’s Trust Secretary)
Dear friends, As I write this letter, the King’s Coronation is about to take place and I trust that you all have been planning special services and festivities to pray for him, to rejoice with him as he takes on this major role and to give thanks for his willingness to continue the unswerving loyalty to a servant role, which his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth 11 fulfilled over seventy years as she strengthened links with other countries as Head of the Commonwealth, visited countries abroad and received guests from overseas. I am sure that King Charles will willingly follow in her footsteps and so let us rejoice in the fact that we live in a democratic monarchy, where our monarch is not there to rule by “divine right”, but to serve his people as a symbol of tolerance, freedom of expression and integrity. I hope that you will be able to share with gladness the activities of your communities, whatever they may be. I remember fondly the Coronation in 1953, when my family was able to join with many others to watch the Coronation on the television in St Mary’s Church, Bucknall as, like many people, we did not have a television at that point! My Primary School at Bagnall (now sadly destroyed by a fire some years ago) took the ten year olds to Windsor on a day trip. That was such a delightful experience for me, and my mother encouraged me to create a scrap book to record everything about this important event in my life! Giving thanks for our King is an opportunity to thank God for all that is so good in our lives. Our news is so dominated by the injustices and sadness of the world – violence, disaster, war, terrorism - that it is so easy to be blind to the many joys and acts of goodness and love that are there in everyday life. The Bible has several accounts of kingship in its finest forms though it does not hide the fact that they sometimes got things wrong. It depicts Solomon's reign as an era of unprecedented prosperity due to his wisdom, a quality bestowed upon him by God. In a dream, God had asked him what he wanted most, and Solomon replied, “an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil” (I Kings 3:9). He built the first great Temple in Jerusalem, established peaceful relations with surrounding nations, and ruled Israel with wisdom and justice. He contributed books to the biblical canon including Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs, and made many decrees that kept religious observance on a high level. The king had an important function to play as Yahweh’s viceroy, concerned to preserve peace, justice and righteousness in the land. He made some mistakes, but nobody's infallible! King Charles is the longest-waiting heir apparent, and he’s the oldest British monarch to ever take the throne. May God bless him and the Queen Consort as they enter this important new chapter of their lives. Love and peace, Irene Smith Irene is an OLM in the Uttoxeter Area of Parishes and Self-Supporting Minister at Checkley.
