Heavenly Father, your Son battled with the powers of darkness, and grew closer to you in the desert: help us to use these days to grow in wisdom and prayer that we may witness to your saving love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Prayer Course: SESSION 2 THIS WEDNESDAY, 12TH MARCH
We enjoyed our 1st session of this on Wednesday, but do still feel free to come and join us this coming Wednesday! For more information please click on this link: https://prayercourse.org/home/ We highly recommend this and would love lots of us to be together for it on Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm at St. James’ Church on Green Lane.
SERVICES
SUNDAY 9th March
St Andrew's: 10.00 am Morning Prayer
St Thomas': 10.00 am Morning Prayer
St James': 11.15 am Holy Communion
St Peter's: 11.15 Morning Prayer AND 4.00 pm Church for All with Communion
WEDNESDAY 12th March
St Andrew’s: 10.30am Team Holy Communion Service
St James: 7.30 pm Prayer Course (details above)
SUNDAY 16th March
St Andrew's: 10.00 am Holy Communion
St Thomas': No service on third Sunday of the month
St James': 11.15 am Morning Prayer
St Peter's: 11.15 Morning Prayer AND 4.00 pm Church for All
Bible Readings
Sunday 9th March: Luke 4:1-13 (1 reading only)
Sunday 16th March: Philippians 3:17-4:1, Luke 13:31-end
Sunday 23rd March Team Service readings tbc
Sunday 30th March Mothering Sunday readings tbc by service preacher.
TEAM PRAYERS
Team Prayers will now be taking place ahead of our monthly team service on the 4th Sunday of each month at whichever church is hosting that month’s service, at 9.45am. So the next one will be at St Peter's on Sunday 23rd March at 9.45am. All welcome.
We’re also going to be intentional now about having a short informal time of prayer at each church before the Sunday services each week - so the person leading the service will pray with others who are there for 10 mins or so half an hour before the start of the service, so 9.40 ahead of 10am services and 10.55 ahead of 11.15am services. Everyone is very welcome to join in with this. St James usually has a time of individual prayer and reflection helped by two worship songs from about 5 minutes before the actual start of the service.
News
Church Electoral Rolls
This year is a New Church Electoral Roll year, which occurs every 6 years, when everyone on the roll comes off and everyone has to fill in a form again. It’s really important that everyone does this, anyone on the current roll who does not complete the form will not be on the new roll. Forms will be available in each of our churches from 2 months before the church’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting.
Notices will be displayed at each church, and reminder announcements made at services. It would be a great help if people could action this quickly when the forms appear at your church, thank you.
St Andrew’s Church - Electoral Roll
For St Andrew’s Electoral Roll, following the notice above this, Geoff has asked me to say that the application forms are now available in church and need to be submitted by 2nd April at the latest, for inclusion on this year's roll, ahead of the Annual Meeting on 27th April. For further info or if anyone is currently unable to attend church but would like to receive the application form to sign up in time, please do contact Geoff: 0151 526 5366 / [email protected]
St Andrew’s Church - Weekly Envelopes
Some of you with Weekly Giving Envelopes at St Andrew’s are aware you might not yet have been automatically issued with a new box for 2025. This is because not all weekly envelopes are being used as frequently. When you are close to having no envelopes could you please give early notice so as to be issued with a new box, if you so wish, via the church (Parish Office 0151 531 8972, or direct to Geoff Walker 0151 526 5366.) There will be no change to your allocated Weekly Envelope Number. Thank you for your continued support.
Advance dates for your diaries…
Roberts Recycling at St James Saturday 15th March
Had a wardrobe clear out recently? Or needing motivation to get on with doing one? Any no longer needed / unwanted clothes, bags, shoes (just not bedding please) would be most welcome! Drop off 2-3pm on Saturday 15th March at St James Church (Church itself not the hall this time), or do let us know if you can’t make that time or can’t drop them off yourself and we will make suitable arrangements. Thank you.
Parish Breakfast Saturday 22nd March 10am St Andrew’s Church Hall
All welcome - good food, good company, raffle, guest speaker… Please do sign up on the lists at each of our 4 churches for numbers for catering purposes. And please note that it is at 10am, not 9 as mistakenly put in last week's bulletin. The guest speaker is Trish Conlan, a Senior Nurse Practitioner in Community Health.
Fit for Mission
Fit For Mission is a Diocesan initiative aimed to promote growth of churches, looking at how churches in a deanery can work together and so on. This is something all the parishes in the Liverpool Diocese are being asked to look at being part of. There will be an open meeting held on Tuesday 25th March 2025 at Holy Trinity Church, Rosemary Lane, Formby. L37 3HA at 7.30pm. The doors will be open for arrival from 7.00pm and refreshments will be served. The meeting will close at 9.15pm. Everyone is invited – no need to book, just turn up. Archdeacon Pete Spiers will lead a Team from the Fit for Mission Programme together with a representative from parishes that have already gone through the programme. They will each do a short presentation and then there will be an open Question and Answer session.
St Andrew’s Church Spring Clean Saturday 5th April 2025, 9.15am-12pm.
All welcome as many hands make light work!
Stamps
A request from St Thomas’ for your used stamps, as they are collecting them to support training guide dogs. Please do pass any you have in to your church, and the clergy will ensure they get to St Thomas’. Thank you.
Request for Wool Donations - also stuffing material for toys & pillows
Wool donations for our craft and chat group wld be very gratefully received! Whether whole or part balls of wool, any colour etc. Also, at the moment, donations of stuffing material for toys & pillows would be much appreciated. If you are able to drop off to the craft & chat group between 12.30 and 2pm on Thursdays at St James’ Church Green Lane, that would be great, but collection can easily be arranged. Please contact Pat Dunbar by text message on 07795147109 or email at [email protected] Thank you!
WEEKLY EVENTS
Craft and Chat: every Thursday 12.30pm until 2pm at St James in the fellowship room. Knitting, crocheting or any craft, you are assured of a very warm welcome so please do come and join us. Pat
Hot lunch, tea and cakes every Thursday afternoon at Melling Tithebarn……12.00pm to 2.00pm. A plate for donations will be available. You are assured of a very warm welcome so please do come and join us.
Bible Study: After our Bible Course through October and November, our regular weekly Bible Study is taking place again on Thursdays at 7.30pm in St Andrew’s Church Hall. We will be looking at the Gospel of Luke together. All welcome.
MONTHLY EVENTS
St Peter's Tea and Scones: everyone is welcome to join us for tea and scones on the first Friday in every month from 2pm-3pm. The next one is on Friday 4th April. Expect lots of friendly chats and live music by our resident Michael with his keyboard.
Bereavement Support: at St Andrew’s Church. Further enquiries, and if there are any particular requests for bereavement support, from anywhere across our 4 parishes, please contact St Andrew’s Parish Office 0151 531 8972.
Other notices
Foodbank: the Foodbank is based at St George's United Reformed Church on Northway opposite Iceland, on Tuesdays 10.00am-12.00 noon.
Tins, packet foods and toiletries are always useful. They will gratefully receive donations from 10-12 on Tuesdays at St George’s URC on Northway (easiest access is via the car park on Larchwood Avenue). Alternatively please do drop any donations off before Tuesday on the vicarage doorstep at 23 Green Link. Thank you.
CONTACT DETAILS
Please contact us…
If you know anyone who would like to receive this email
If there is anyone who needs prayer
If you know anyone who needs a phone call
Contact details:
Revd. Ian Hopkins 07914 505437 or [email protected]
Revd. Simon Elliott 07919 464348 or [email protected]