From the Vicarage‘You must really notice a difference now that you are here in Cheshire, ratherthan in Oxford!’ many people have said to me since my arrival here, and whilstit is true that life here in Cheshire if different – calmer, more space, less rushed,cleaner. It is also true that my ministry is not really that different at all.Let me explain:I still journey with people at times of great joy and sadness, and also throughthe mundane and ordinariness of daily life. It is one of my greatest privileges tobe able to be alongside people on their life journey, helping them to discoverwhere it is that God is acting in their lives for their good.I still do the round of church services, discovering each year something new inthe message from God that is given to us in the richness of the scripture.I still constantly discover that I am unworthy, and that I can only do this jobthrough the Grace of God.I still lead worship, and although this is now through four churches rather thanthree, I still feel greatly privileged to lead worship. The Eucharist is one of themain focuses of my ministry, and it is this that keeps me going, that sustains myown spirituality as every time I celebrate the Eucharist I/we encounter the livingGod here in our midst.So, I would argue that Ministry here in Cheshire is not all that different than inInner City Manchester, rural Cornwall or semi-rural Oxfordshire.Our lovely group of churches will be looking at a new service pattern early inJanuary as the current pattern cannot be undertaken by one priest on a Sundayand, sadly, there are few retired priests available to help out Sunday bySunday.I pray that when the new pattern is introduced that you will give it time, so thatyou can see the pattern and routine. Change, I know, is never easy, but ourLord never said that following Him was going to be easy. We need to examinewhat we do in our services on a regular basis so that we can encounter Godthrough all the Offices that the church has to offer, both Eucharistic andNon-Eucharistic.Finally huge thanks must go to everybody who kept our lovely churches goingthrough the interregnum, you have all done an amazing job as not only haveyou kept things going, I can also see that closer bonds have formed betweenthe churches and these will be vital to ensure that our churches remain activeand welcoming.May I also wish you all a belated Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.With all Gods BlessingsRobertMy contact details are:Revd R S Thewsey MAThe VicarageRostherneKnutsford WA16 6RZTelephone – 01565 830595Email – robert.thewsey@btinternet.com
Coffee and Chat8th January at Mere and Tabley Community Club10.30 - 12.00 - Just drop in or stay longer.For further details Judy Hancock 07811614319 or annhancock60@hotmail.com
Churchwarden’s ReportI thought I had escaped the monthly task of filing a report but it would be remissnot to record the service of Induction of Revd Robert Thewsey as Vicar of thethree parishes on Monday 25th November. The Bishop of Chester, Bishop Mark,presided. Also in attendance were three other bishops; Bishop Sam (Bishop ofStockport) and two visiting bishops from Melanesia. Other participants were theArchdeacon of Macclesfield Ven.Jane Proudfoot, the Rural Dean of KnutsfordRevd Paul Deakin, and numerous clergy and lay readers, also the two Patrons,Lord Greyfor Rostherne with Bollington and Mark Turnbull for St. Mark’sDunham Massey. Amongst the welcomers were the Mayors of Knutsford andTrafford, the headmistress of Little Bollington school, the wardens and membersof the congregations of the three parishes and from Revd Robert’s formerparishes together with other well wishers. The ceremony proceeded mainlyseamlessly and wholly with good humour. It was a joyful and memorableoccasion and a splendid beginning for Revd Robert’s ministry. The collectionraised for the benefit of the Chester Clergy Family Charitable Trust the sum of£484.02. A big thank you to Jonathan Farber for taking photographs of theproceedings - too numerous to print all of them here.The Christingle service at St. Mary’s took place the day before the induction on24th November; it was well attended by children and adults: the collection forthe benefit of the Children’s Society raised £186. By the time this edition of themagazine appears there will have been a Christingle service at Little Bollingtonschool on 20th December.The annual Carol Service at St. Mary’s took place on 15th December. RevdRobert had printed 150 orders of service: all were distributed from which it canbe deduced that there were at least that number of people in attendance -probably the largest turnout to date. The Mereside Brass band and our organistwere as might be expected in fine form: the congregation too was in good voice.Over a year ago a parishioner asked whether there could be a memorial in thechurchyard “for all the little ones who didn’t make it into the world and thosewho arrived but couldn’t stay”. A faculty for such a public memorial for everyonewho has suffered such a loss has recently been granted and a stone memorialwas put in place in the churchyard extension on Saturday 14th December.By the time the magazine has been printed, a Carol Service at St. Mark’s willhave taken place as well as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services at StMary’s and St. Mark’s. Looking ahead to January, on Sunday 5th there will bejust the one service to mark the Epiphany and Revd Robert’s 60th birthday at St.Mark’s. On 12th there will be two services to mark Plough Sunday, one at9.30am at St. Mark’s and the other at 11.00 am at St. Paul’s Over Tabley. Thepattern of services adopted during the interregnum will continue during the restof January and February and thereafter reviewed.As has been said before, changes there will be: some have happened already:whatever further changes may happen, I am sure we can all look forward to thefuture with confidence.Christopher Tetlow
St. Mary'sFuneral3rd December Stephen Hall Bloor aged 8711th December Vivien Ann Sutcliffe aged 87St Mark’sBurial of Ashes19th December Kenneth William Gill aged 97
