You can find a link to the Archbishops' letter here. You can find a link to the live prayer here.
Due to the recent announcements from the Government calling for a national lockdown, we are suspending services held in our church building. We are however continuing with our online services.Online servicesPlease do join us for our online services. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Our Explore service (first Sunday of the month) and our Connect service (third Sunday of the month) are on Zoom. Details to join will be sent via network groups. If you are not in a network group, use the "Get in touch" button to request joining details.</span>Our holy communion services (second, fourth and fifth Sundays) are available on our YouTube channel. Children's are on our YouTube channel.Network groupsWe have a number of network groups. These groups provide support to each other, some meeting to have house groups (online). If you would like to be part of one of these groups please contact us.Link and LookPlease see our notice sheet section for the Sunday Link and Sunday Look activities. The Sunday Link includes a weekly reflection and the Sunday Look includes activities suitable for children.ResourcesThere are a large number of resources to support you in your faith on our resources page, please take a look.
They will call him Immanuel which means ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23)Worries are being voiced over what Christmas will mean this year as families face the loss of loved ones and concerns are being raised over how Christmas can be celebrated in these circumstances. Despite the difficult circumstances we face this year, one of the key messages of Christmas remains: God is with us. In our Christmas carol, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ we sing: ‘pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel’. And it is this truth that our above Bible verse refers to, reminding us that God came to live among us in the person of Jesus and is still with us in the person of the Holy Spirit. So no matter what the circumstances are this Christmas and indeed throughout this time of lockdown and beyond – whether we are lonely, anxious or fearful, we are not alone. God is with us and we can talk to him and share our worries & fears – that is what prayer is, simply talking to God. We don’t have to know special words or set prayers – God loves us and wants to hear what is troubling us, just as any loving parent wants to hear what is worrying their children. And prayer does make a difference – some- times it might change a situation but even if it doesn’t (and God does not promise to take all our troubles away) we do know the promise that God will help us in our troubles and give The strength we need to cope and have hope and joy in the midst of suffering. An example of this is the hymn writer Joseph Scriven who wrote, ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’. It sounds a jolly tune and we may think that Scriven didn’t have a care in the world but the truth is very different. He wrote the hymn out of extreme pain – he lost two fiancées in tragic circumstances and never married as a result. He wrote to say that Jesus was with him and helped him cope through his difficulties. One of my favourite Bible passages is Romans 8:35-39 where the apostle Paul affirms that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Like Joseph Scriven, these were not just nice words – Paul knew what it was like to suffer: he was flogged, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, in danger at sea and in danger from many other sources; he endured long term illness, hunger and ultimately martyrdom. Yet God gave him the strength to keep going and to have joy despite his pain. This Christmas, perhaps more than ever, can we be encouraged to try praying – and find for ourselves that God is indeed with us and that we are not alone. Yours Tim
From a small start when the Foodbank opened at Stanwood Methodist Church in January 2020 we have seen a steadily increasing flow of people needing support from the Foodbank in recent months and given the current situation we anticipate this to continue. We are supporting roughly 28 households a week which means around 60 individuals.We are extremely grateful to everyone who is donating to the food bank in whatever way; every contribution is vital to supporting those in need in our local area. We also thank local businesses including Morrisons, Stannington Fruit and Veg, Go Local, Coop, Tesco and Iceland for their help and support either in donating food or providing a collection point for people to drop off their donations. With- out the generosity of so many people we could not provide to the level we do. In these difficult times for everyone it is humbling to witness so many people dropping donations off and these personal donations are an essential part of the supplies we receive. We have definitely seen an increase in donations as people want to support others during this difficult time in whatever way they can.Lately we have been encouraged by offers of support from our local community. During half-term a lady kindly provided us with vouchers for children to take to Yanni’s Plaice to exchange for a meal. However when she went to pay for the meals, she was told that the owners were going to foot the bill instead! What an amazing act of generosity. Already people have contacted us to offer a variety of gifts for Christmas. One suggestion is a ‘reverse Advent Calendar’; collect an item a day during Advent towards a parcel for the Foodbank.Due to Coronavirus restrictions, we are only able to allow volunteers into the building during our opening hour (12-1 on Mondays), which unfortunately means people do have to queue outside whilst waiting for their food parcels. We do hope to be able to improve this situation once the restrictions have been lifted.For a weekly update of which items are required and drop-off times and places, please check the Foodbank’s Facebook page, where you can also message us with any questions. We always need: long-life milk, tins of meat or fish, cereals, tea, coffee, tinned veg, pasta sauce, biscuits.Stannington Foodbank is a joint venture between Stanwood Methodist Church and Christ Church.
