I hope you and your family have had a good week and are well. The weather could be a bit better! Apologies for what is a rather longer letter than usual, but there are a number of important matters to tell you about . Please read through to the end and if you have any questions, please contact me. Thank you to all those who have responded so generously to Christian Aid week’s e-envelope scheme. I've just checked and it's now £600 plus Gift Aid making £698.75. This exceeds the modest target we set ourselves of £500. It’s not too late to make a donation, but it must be done by the end of Sunday 16<sup>th</sup> May, Here are the links:- https://envelope.christianaid.org.uk/envelope/all-saints-church-daresbury or https://envelope.christianaid.org.uk/envelope/all-saints-church-daresbury?channel=copy The period between the Ascension of Jesus, which we celebrated on Thursday and Pentecost next Sunday, has been designated as 10 days of special prayer on the theme ‘Thy Kingdom Come.’ It is a global ecumenical prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray for more people to come to know Jesus. You can find more about it and the special app here:- https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/daily-prayer-thy-kingdom-come Continuing on the theme of prayer, so important to our Christian life, Gill has found a lovely sung video prayer for healing on YouTube here:- https://youtu.be/_8D3EhBcukI. If ever there was a time for prayer and healing after the events last 14 months, it is now. As you watch it remember the people of India, Brazil and those parts of the world still gripped by the Covid. Give thanks also for the way in which we as a country have responded to our own situation and pray for responsible behaviour as we move to Stage 3 and a further relaxation of the rules. It’s difficult to say how the move to Stage 3 of the Government’s roadmap will directly affect us as a worshipping and missionary community. On Friday the CofE’s website, which we have used throughout the last 14 months as our guide to develop our own practice, pointed out that from 17<sup>th</sup> May the number of those attending a funeral will depend upon the building’s Covid-safe capacity. Previously it had been 30. In our case I think we can safely accommodate 40 without altering the current layout. The number of those who can attend a wedding will also be increased from 15 to 30. In both cases, masks must be worn and congregational singing is still prohibited. At the moment we are keeping the number of tickets to be reserved through Eventbrite to 30. However, there is a waiting list available for each Sunday. So, if the first 30 have already gone, please go onto the list and I will review the situation each Saturday night and let you know. The Government’s guidance on Places of Worship is being updated and the CofE’s guidance will be updated accordingly on May 17 or shortly thereafter. It’s important to remember that Eventbrite has proved to be a very important tool since the pandemic began. Not just for us, but also for 1000s of Parish Churches and Cathedrals all over the country. It enables us to keep a record of those who attend and to meet the demands of NHS Track and Trace. It is also recommended by the national Church as a way of recording attendance. But above all it assures you, as best we can, that the Church is as Covid-safe as possible. Two dates for your diaries. The gardens at Hall Lane Farm, Daresbury will be open next Sunday from 12.00noon to 5.00pm as part of the National Garden Scheme. Admission £5.00 for adults and children are free and all proceeds go to charity. You can find out more information at https://ngs.org.uk/view-garden/36612 although refreshments may not available this year. The only other date is that for the PCC AGM on Thursday at 7.30pm on Zoom. I can only repeat what I said last week. There will be a report from our Churchwardens, Steve Lander and Mark Longstaff, and also Gill, on their continuing discussions as to the future of the parish, Over the last 6 months they have worked tirelessly and very responsibly in the discussions with the Diocese and the parish of Norton. They have shared all this with the PCC, who have been grateful for what they have done. The Archdeacon has been very appreciative of their open and honest approach. They will be able to report progress at the meeting and you will be able to hear first-hand the outcome of their discussions so far. They deserve your full attention and continuing support, as it is them that the Diocese and the team at Norton will be expecting to work with in future discussions. You can find the meeting details and more information here:-https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/12623/news/54700/arrangements-for-agms-on-20th-may/ from where you can also download nomination forms. Copies of the Annual Report are available from the Vicarage and can be found here:- https://media.acny.uk/media/news/post/2021/04/Annual_Report_and_Finances_2021.pdf Finally, tomorrow’s service is attached. With God’s blessing, David
I hope you and your family are all well. There were problems last week with the weekly email. This meant that some of you did not receive it which is significant. It seems that the problem was due to certain email accounts rejecting it. This has happened once or twice before and is out of our control. We are very much in the hands of third parties, but it looks as though these may have been sorted out. It’s worth bearing in mind that the newsletter with the service sheet is also available on our two websites. The best place to go to https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/12623/news/ where you find it under the ‘News and Notices’ tab. It is also available on our Eventbrite site :- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/all-saints-church-daresbury-15013411336 and our Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/daresburychurch You can will find it here https://daresburycofe.org.uk/news/. This uses a direct link from our Facebook site, but it can take some time to catch up with it. One of the items of information I gave out last week was about Christian Aid week which starts this coming Monday. Its focus this year is the climate crisis which is having a devastating impact on communities in Kenya. Right now, families struggle to survive without a reliable water source. Every day, they walk further, dig deeper and build stronger to survive. Unrelenting. Determined. This climate crisis hurts us all. But people living in poverty fight the worst of it every day. From drought to flooding, climate change robs people of control over their lives. Extreme weather means people like Rose are struggling to survive without a reliable source of water. You can lean more about Rose’s story here:- https://www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals-key-appeals/christian-aid-week/christian-aid-week-roses-story Your gift could help a community build an earth dam, so when the rains do come, they will have the water they need to live. A reliable source of water will help families withstand long drought or relentless rainstorms. Every envelope. Every gift. Every challenge can change lives. There will be envelopes available in Church for the next two Sundays which can be returned to the Post Office in Moore thanks to Don and Elaine. However Christian Aid are encouraging us to give using their e-envelopes which can be labelled to our Church. You will find the e-envelope here:- https://envelope.christianaid.org.uk/envelope/all-saints-church-daresbury or https://envelope.christianaid.org.uk/envelope/all-saints-church-daresbury?channel=copy. We have given ourselves the challenging target of £500, but if everyone on this circulation list gave £10, we would raise over 3 times this. With everything else going on in the world at the moment, it seems the least we can do. There have been 6 donations to date which have raised £165 before Gift Aid. To find out more about Christian Aid’s work, go here:-https://www.christianaid.org.uk/?_ga=2.130203398.869781763.1619888889-2094438108.1619888889 It looks as though that as lockdown eases there will be no restriction on those attending funerals. At present it is 30. What seems is being suggested is that there is no limit, so long as social distancing is maintained. For us it means that, based upon how the church is currently arranged, we will be staying with the 30 limit, as it is for our Sunday services. We are keeping all this under review this and will keep you informed. Don’t forget to reserve your seat for all our Sunday services via Eventbrite :- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/all-saints-church-daresbury-15013411336 Finally, you’ll find tomorrow’s service sheet below. With God’s blessing, David
Even though we only held our last Annual Meetings (reporting on our activities in 2019) last October, Church legislation requires us to hold Annual Meetings reporting on 2020 by the end of this May. The Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2020, as approved by the PCC on 22nd April 2021, were circulated last week and are downloadable via our websites and Facebook site. Hard copies will be available in Church for the next two Sundays. The report will be discussed, along with the other items, at the Annual Meetings on 20<sup>th</sup> May via Zoom starting at 7.30pm, with the annual Vestry meeting to appoint the Churchwardens and followed at 7.35pm, or as soon as possible after the Vestry meeting with the Annual Parochial Church Council Meeting the Vestry meeting. The login details are below. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85074281502?pwd=TFpFR01SNXB6Y3B3eTZJTTJaL0FhQT09 Meeting ID: 850 7428 1502 Passcode: 215667 You can also join by telephone by calling one of the following numbers. Please let anyone you know who may not be online but who you think might want to join. Mobile +441314601196,,85074281502#,,,,*215667# United Kingdom +442034815237,,85074281502#,,,,*215667# United Kingdom Landline +44 131 460 1196 United Kingdom +44 203 481 5237 United Kingdom +44 203 481 5240 United Kingdom +44 203 901 7895 United Kingdom +44 208 080 6591 United Kingdom<span style="font-size: 1rem;">+44 208 080 6592 United Kingdom</span> +44 330 088 5830 United Kingdom Meeting ID: 850 7428 1502 Passcode: 215667 You will find attached nomination forms for Churchwarden, Deanery Synod Representatives and PCC members. There are a couple of things to note. I’m sorry if this seems a bit complicated, particularly as the law relating to Churchwarden elections is different from that which affects Deanery Synod and PCC elections! Last year Steve Lander and Mark Longstaff were elected as Churchwardens. Over the last 6 months they have worked tirelessly and very responsibly in the discussions with the Diocese and the parish of Norton. They have shared all this with the PCC, who have been grateful for what they have done. The Archdeacon has been very appreciative of their approach. They will be able to report in full at the meeting. There is 1 Deanery Synod place to fill. We have 5 ‘ordinary’ PCC members to appoint – 4 to serve until 2024 and 1 to serve until 2022. Those standing down are Neil Shenton, Kathy Broom and Sue McIntyre. We also thank them for their service. They too are eligible for re-election. Nomination forms for all three elections are attached. They will be available in Church from this Sunday. Because of the COVID-19 restrictions I am happy to receive these electronically, whether as a Word/PDF document or as a photograph. If your proposer and seconder can also physically sign the form that would be good, and either or both can be in the same household or family. Please read the notes. I will be as lenient as possible in applying the rules so please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns. So long as it is clear from the forms that I receive what are the intentions of the candidates, their proposers and seconders that should be sufficient. I must have the completed nominations forms in whatever form for Churchwarden before the meeting starts. I can accept nomination forms for Deanery Synod and the PCC at the meetings, but obviously it would be better for me to have them beforehand if in case we need to organise an election. Finally, there will be a brief PCC meeting after the AGMs just to formally appoint the PCC officers for 2021-22. With God’s blessing, David
