St. Paul’s Church, Chippenham

WITH HOLIDAY TIME COMING UP PLEASE COULD EVERYBODY WHO IS ON THE ROTA INFORM THE OFFICE IF THEY KNOW WHEN THEY ARE GOING TO BE AWAY IN JUNE, JULY & AUGUST. This means that there is less need for people to swap duties and makes the life of the churchwardens much easier. We need to know by Wednesday 14th May so that the rota can go out on time.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK - I want to record my gratitude to the Rev Joseph Morris who brought a wonderful dramatisation of MARK ‘S GOSPEL to St Paul’s church at the beginning of April. Some 200 people of all ages gathered and found the experience both profound and moving. It was lovely to hear the whole sweep of Mark’s account of Jesus and to realise how much he packs into 16 short chapters.

We were very blessed to have Joseph with us and I am so glad I said ‘yes’ and that we let Joseph minister to us … or was it Mark who ministered? … or was it Jesus himself who ministered to us that night? Thank you, Joseph, for bringing Mark’s words alive – and for enlivening us with Jesus himself! (I have since had an email from Joseph in which he said that “the time with you in Chippenham was the highest point of my stay in England … I hope we can do it again.”)

TEAM VICAR APPOINTMENT - by the time you read this I hope that we will have appointed a new colleague. We are due to interview 4 candidates on 23rd April and I am praying that one of them will be just right for us – and we for them! Although an appointment may have been made we are not likely to be able to make a public announcement until they have had time for clearance etc.

MAY 25th JOHN COLES PARK - St Paul’s church will be holding a joint outdoor service with the Baptists on Sunday 25th May at 10.15am in John Coles Park. It should last for less than an hour. There will be SPARKS ON SUNDAY also and special provision for children. It should be a lovely event to invite friends and family to. Bring your picnic lunch and please wear a SPLASH OF COLOUR!

ARCHDEACON’S VISITATION - takes place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 7th May at St Paul’s church – Archdeacon Alan Hawker asks all this year’s and last year’s church wardens to please attend.

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK & SERVICE - is during the week 11-17 May and the united service is at 6.00pm on Sunday 11th May at Sheldon Road Methodist church – please come along!

CANON ANN ASHCROFT - congratulations to Ann (Team Rector of the By Brook Benefice) who is to made a non-residential Canon of Bristol Cathedral – i.e. she keeps the same job in Yatton Keynell but will be called Canon Ann Ashcroft!

MY RE-LICENSING - will take place at the home of the Bishop of Swindon on Thursday 15th May at 10.30am. This means that I have a licence for the next 7 years here as Team Rector … but neither means that I will definitely be here that long nor that I may not get a further licence in the future. As far as I can see God wants me here at this time – all things and timings are in his hand!

CHIPPENHAM DEANERY - please keep two of our full-time clergy in your prayers as they are both off long-term sick – Tony Fensome and Val Powell. As you might imagine this leads to real questions as to how work is covered in this area of the Church of England and means that others have to carry the load!

REV SAM RUSHTON - is the new person responsible for ministry in the Diocese of Bristol. She is going to live in Cepen Park North and will be licenced to our churches and therefore exercising ministry in them and leading various services etc. With her husband Peter and boys Matthew & Adam they are expecting to become part of St Paul’s church. It should be great to have them around and I am sure they will contribute a lot to our life. Welcome to all four of you!

MONDAY MAY 12th (the resting place) - is the name of a new coffee drop in and time to talk and sharing any concerns – a place where people will be around to listen to you – from 10.30am until noon. You’d be most welcome to drop in to St Paul’s hall for a chat!

SUNDAY 18th MAY - 7.00pm in St Paul’s hall will be ‘OPEN TO GOD’.

SUNDAY 25th MAY - 6.30pm in St Paul’s church will be an Iona Holy Communion service.

GOING DEEPER - I want to commend this idea of Going Deeper into our sermon series on HOW TO BE CHURCH (looking at 1 Corinthians 11-14). We are holding open evenings of talk and study which should give the opportunity to really get to grips with Scripture. Details will be on the notice sheet to follow but this will start on 30th April.

THE VILLAGE HALL ON SUNDAY - takes place on Sunday 18th May from 9.30am in Kington St Michael Village Hall and promises to be (as the previous ones) well-worth coming along to. It is a lovely way to engage with God and each other – to find a different way of worshipping and growing together!

LEE ABBEY 2008 - a date for your diary: we are having our next Lee Abbey weekend 10-12 October 2008. We are very fortunate that our speaker will be the Rev Paul Bayes who is the National Mission & Evangelism Adviser for the Church of England. Please contact Ron & Margaret Pool for more details. It should be a great weekend and a lovely way to get to know one another and to go deeper into God.

THE LEADERSHIP @ ST PAUL’S - I am hoping to announce some names of people who will take on the new leadership roles at the St Paul’s with Langley Burrell AGM on Wednesday 23 April. It will partly depend on who becomes churchwarden etc but I hope that we can have an initial structure of leaders for the next year – which will be a year of transition as we move fully into the new way of working.

Juts to remind you … the headlines are that we look to have a PCC that acts as Trustees (meeting say four or five times a year) with an important role played by the Chair and Churchwardens. Also, we are looking to have co-ordinators/leaders/elders/facilitators (or whatever we call them!) for six areas of church life: Resources & Property; Worship & Discipleship; Outreach; Caring For Ourselves; Youth & Children; Out Of Parish.

THEMES & READINGS - we are continuing our series in 1 Corinthians HOW TO BE CHURCH. These will be the main Bible readings:

• May 4 - The Greatest Gift - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
• May 11 - Pentecost - Acts 2:1-21
• May 18 - Tongues & Prophecy - 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
• May 25 - Good Worship - 1 Corinthians 14:26-40

MIDWEEK BIBLE READINGS - at our midweek services of Holy Communion (10am on Wednesdays at St Paul’s – and 10am Thursdays at Kington St Michael) we are continuing a series FROM THE BEGINNING (Genesis 1-11)

• May 7/8 - The Rainbow - Genesis 9:1-29
• May 14/15 - Pentecost - Acts 2:1-21
• May 21/22 - Trinity - Psalm 8:1-9
• May 28/29 - Tower of Babel - Genesis 11:1-9

PRAYER FOR THE MONTH – I think this is my favourite of all…

Eternal God and Father
You create us by your power
And redeem us by your love
Guide and strengthen us by your Spirit that we may give ourselves
In love and service
To one another and to you
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen

Simon Tyndall

  11th-17th May 2008
We prayerfully trust that all those who have helped with this collection in previous years will be able to do so again. Additional collectors are also urgently required to enable us to cover all allocated roads, please contact us if you are able to take part—your help is vital.
Envelopes and supporting information will be available at the back of church from Sunday 27th April.
The service to open Christian Aid Week will be at Sheldon Road, Methodist Church on Sunday 11th May commencing at 6pm.

Station Hill Baptist Church will be running a marriage course on Friday nights starting on 25th April in the Salvation Army Community Centre for 7 weeks.  The cost will be £45 per couple to cover food and materials.  There is a bursary for those who would otherwise be excluded.

St Peter’s church hall.  Saturday 3rd May from 10am

 This is something new that we’re offering during the summer term:- a midweek meeting with a chance to reflect more deeply on our sermon series “How to be Church” based on readings from 1 Corinthians. Open to individuals or entire home groups, whether you want to know a bit more, you want to discuss some of the issues raised or whether you’d welcome the opportunity to meet others in our Churches. The meetings will take place on Wednesday evenings from 30th April –11th June inclusive starting with refreshments at 7.45pm and finishing by 9.30pm. Venue to be confirmed. Do join us and become deeper in Christ and deeper in Christ’s Body, the church. For more details and to register an interest please contact Karin

THE GOSPEL OF MARK - I am not quite sure why us but … we were contacted and offered the opportunity to host a ‘performance’ of Mark’s Gospel by the Rev Joseph Morris – an American who is travelling in the UK and it looks great! Come along to St Paul’s at 6.30pm on Sunday 6th April and experience Mark’s account of Jesus in a new light. I feel we are very privileged to be hosting this! (It’s free – proceeds from a retiring offering will go to Joseph.)  For more information see Mark’s Gospel Live.

FASCINATING SPEAKERS - and I have had such a good time through Lent and have been greatly stimulated by hearing a number of excellent and challenging speakers. It has been great to hear Nick Pollard (Damaris Trust), Bishop Lee, Chris Neal (Church Mission Society), Bishop Mike and Dave Bookless (Arocha) and I have reflected that they would have made quite a speaker list for any Christian Conference – in fact they are all Lee Abbey, New Wine and Spring Harvest speakers! Aren’t we privileged … that they came to a venue near us!

TEAM VICAR APPOINTMENT - please keep this process in your prayers. I have had a number of people make contact about it but …we need actual applications and hopefully some candidates to interview on 22/23 April! (The expectation is that there will be a short-listing on 31st March.)

THE LEADERSHIP @ ST PAUL’S - we recently held a meeting at St Pauls to introduce some ideas about how we hope to run the church in the near future. The headlines are that we look to have a PCC that acts as Trustees (meeting say 4/5 times a year) with an important role played by the Chair and Churchwardens. Also, we are looking to have co-ordinators/leaders/elders/facilitators (or whatever we call them!) for 6 areas of church life: Resources & Property; Worship & Discipleship; Outreach; Caring For Ourselves; Youth & Children; Out Of Parish. (If you have any ideas of who would be suitable please talk to me or Karin Needham about this.)

DATES FOR OUR ANNUAL MEETINGS - all are welcome and they take place in church

• Thursday 17th April 7.30pm - Hardenhuish
• Sunday 20th April 11.00am - Langley Burrell
• Monday 21st April 7.30pm - Kington St Michael
• Wednesday 23rd April 7.30pm - St Paul’s

THE USE (OR OTHERWISE) OF E-MAILS! - I can find myself reeling from too many emails and have reflected that they are good (for sending factual information) but are hopeless for engaging people in real discussion. So often I feel that phone calls – or better still face to face conversations – are a much better way of relating one to another. And, of course, the more emails I get the more time I spend at my desk (rather than out and about!) I see that I had 650 in or out emails last month – and I am left wondering if this is the best way for the church’s ministry!

GOING DEEPER - I want to commend this idea of Going Deeper into our sermon series on HOW TO BE CHURCH (looking at 1 Corinthians 11-14). We are holding open evenings of talk and study which should give the opportunity to really get to grips with Scripture. Details will follow but this should start on 30th April.

BAPTISM PREPARATION - takes place at St Paul’s church on Sunday 13th April at 3pm.

OPEN TO GOD - is on Sunday 20th April at 7pm in St Paul’s hall. Come & worship!

IONA HOLY COMMUNION - Sunday 27th April at 6.30pm in St Paul’s – something slightly different!

CONFIRMATION - I am delighted that we are hosting a Confirmation Service with Bishop Lee on Sunday 8th June at 10.00am at St Paul’s church. I have booked these dates in my diary for preparation – Tuesdays 29/4 and 6/5 and Thursdays 15/5 and 22/5 – these will be at 7pm (for about an hour) at my home, 9 Greenway Park. (We will also hope to have a post-Confirmation session a couple of weeks after the Confirmation itself.)

THE VILLAGE HALL ON SUNDAY - takes place on Sunday 20th April from 9.30am in Kington St Michael Village Hall and promises to be (as the previous ones) well-worth coming along to. It is a lovely way to engage with God and each other – to find a different way of worshipping and growing together!

LEE ABBEY 2008 - a date for your diary …..we are having our next Lee Abbey weekend 10-12 October 2008. We are very fortunate that our speaker will be the Rev Paul Bayes who is the National Mission & Evangelism Adviser for the Church of England. It should be very good indeed!

BISHOP OF BOLTON - one person who won’t be there to welcome us to Lee Abbey is the warden Chris Edmondson as he is to become the new Bishop of Bolton in the diocese of Manchester. Many congratulations to Chris and Susan as they start this new phase of their ministry!

HOME GROUPS - if you are interested in joining one in Langley Burrell please talk to Veronica Kilmister – for Hardenhuish talk to Barbara Wood – for Kington St Michael talk to John Woodward - and for St Paul’s please contact Helen Pattison.

THEMES & READINGS - we are starting a series in 1 Corinthians HOW TO BE CHURCH. These will be the main Bible readings:

• April 6 - The Lord’s Supper - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
• April 13 - Spiritual Gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
• April 20 - The Body Of Christ - 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
• April 27 - Gifts In The Church - 1 Corinthians 12:27-31

MIDWEEK BIBLE READINGS - at our midweek services of Holy Communion (10am on Wednesdays at St Pauls – and 10am Thursdays at Kington St Michael) we are continuing a series FROM THE BEGINNING (Genesis 1-11)

• April 2/3 - Cain & Abel - Genesis 4:1-26
• April 9/10 - Noah - Genesis 6:1-22
• April 16/17 - The Flood I - Genesis 7:1-24
• April 23/24 - The Flood II - Genesis 8:1-22
• April 30/May 1 - Ascension Day - Acts 1:1-11

PRAYER FOR THE MONTH – is what’s known as a Canticle… why not use it in your own devotions?

EASTER ANTHEMS
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us:
So let us celebrate the feast,
Not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness:
But with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Christ once raised from the dead dies no more:
Death has no more dominion over him.
In dying he died to sin once for all:
In living he lives to God.
See yourselves therefore as dead to sin:
And alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ has been raised from the dead:
The first fruits of those who sleep.
For as by man came death:
By man has come also the resurrection of the dead;
For as in Adam all die:
Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Simon Tyndall

On 10th March we had a consultation evening at St Paul’s church  which some 60 or so people attended representing  probably a hundred or so of  the congregation. We were meeting  as part of the Firm Foundations Project  launch to look at  a new way of organising how we do things at St Paul’s now that the church has grown and we are involved in so many activities.

Below  is a summary of the Firm Foundations Project  proposals for how  we would like  to see the  church organise itself in the future.   The proposals were greeted  with enthusiasm by those attending  the meeting who engaged well and gave us quite a lot of feedback. As with any  change, the proposals won’t change what we do overnight so there will be a transitional period as the changes come into effect. There may also  be changes to the proposals as we introduce them and see how they work in practice. Even so  this looks an exciting way forward for the church  which will help us organise ourselves better and will aid our communication. We envisage this structure will also  make it easier for more people to get involved in the life of the church  and that it will also help us develop a more integrated  vision across the various groups and activities in the church.

It is hoped that we will begin the process of organising ourselves in this new way at    our Annual Church Meeting ( the APCC) which takes place on 23rd April at 7.30 at the church. So please do come along and hear more about what is happening on that date.

Initially the people who are “responsible for” or who “facilitate” or” oversee”  the 6 areas of church life  (we haven’t yet decided on the exact terminology) will be appointed for a temporary period of a year whilst we aim to get the new structure up and running. It is possible that we may not even  have all six areas covered from this April. However, further permanent appointments which possibly will last for 2 years (with a further 2 years renewable) will be made at the 2009 annual meeting. If you would like to suggest people who might be suitable for such roles could they people let Simon Tyndall or Karin Needham have the names in writing or by email before the 23rd April.

If you would like to know more about the proposals, please speak to  one of the many people who attended the meeting or speak to one of the following members of the mission and vision group: Phil Crook, Martin Ellet, Alice Hall, Amanda Kingsland, Howard Moreland, Karin Needham Ron Poole, Simon Tyndall, David Webb.  If you don’t know who these people are please ask when you are next in church.

Please take time to read about our plans below and do keep the project in your prayers that  we would discern the right people to take this forward  and that we would build a strong foundation for our ministry at St Paul’s that would lead us to further growth of God’s kingdom here in Chippenham.

Karin Needham

A Report from the St Paul’s Mission & Vision Group

We adopted this, the diocesan mission statement, as it seemed to best fit St Paul’s Vision & Mission strategy.  We have decided that we want to own this …..and will seek to work out what it really means in practise and what the consequences of it are for our life together and worship and for our outreach and mission in the local community.

The PCC is the legal body charged with managing and administering property for ecclesiastical purposes affecting the parish. It sets the tone for the life of the church and should direct the mission, evangelism and outreach of the church – and keep a watching brief over the worshipping life of St Pauls.  In a real sense it is responsible for the health and welfare of the church community working with the Rector and other church officials.  It is the core body driving the purpose and heart of church life and needs to be kept as the vital cog in the workings of St Pauls – no changes on how we run and organise ourselves can take place without the agreement of the PCC.  PCC members exercise important functions as both Directors & Trustees.

With such a large organisation as St Pauls, it was proposed that the work areas be divided into 6 groupings each with a leader (co-ordinator/chair) and a deputy.  If these groups were co-ordinating church life then the PCC would only need to meet 4 times per year. Initially to appoint (as legally required) a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer & Standing Committee and then to decide such things as Budget headings, Data protection, Health & Safety policy, Disability Discrimination Emergencies etc. and to take note of any issues coming from or to the Deanery or Diocese. The day to day running would then fall on the 6 groups to implement the policy of the PCC.  (The Standing Committee would be appointed to transact business between full PCC meetings; within the agreed PCC policy.)

It is proposed that each leader (co-ordinator/chair) and/or their deputy should either be a PCC member or at least report to the PCC.  We need people who can show a light touch and co-ordinate the various activities within the group to achieve the PCC’s policies. This is not seen as a role in which it is necessary to be a provider of the service but more a collaborative role and liaison with the groups and PCC – though some chairing of meetings will be necessary.

It could be that the six leaders would form a Core Group along with the Rector to be able to share ideas and journey together – though clearly church policy would rest with the PCC!  It is important that there is lots of dialogue and working together between all the groups.  We discussed the place of the Treasurer and decided that Finance was a separate issue reporting directly to the PCC – and we do need to ensure that the Treasurer is given full support and guidance by the church (via PCC).

In line with the Diocesan Growth Strategy and the current needs of St Pauls, the proposed six groups would be as follows:-

1. Resource & Property  - Growing in financial security

This should, with the guidance of the Treasurer, be able to provide a planned maintenance scheme for all the church assets, roofs, gulleys, boilers, windows, lighting etc.; to stimulate faithful & enlightened giving and communicate real areas of need to the congregation. Also, to provide financial backing for the life of the church.

2.  Worship & Discipleship - Growing in faith

Is to plan and order different forms and types of worship; to integrate the requirements of multimedia, sound and music; to ensure that Welcomers, Sides-people, Prayer and Healing Ministry is integrated into the life and pattern of church worship; and to ensure that gifts are properly and regularly encouraged.  Also, where possible, to relieve the burden on the clergy and ministry team.

3. Youth & Children     - Growing in family

Will ensure adequate safety, protection and provision are in place for all the activities. Also, integrate the movements between the various group and (occasionally) arrange joint ventures to share and encourage each other; and regularly to share their activities with the wider church.

4 Caring for Ourselves  - Growing in community

Would co-ordinate the various activities ensuring that the whole church family is nurtured and encouraged. It could provide special days away, training, caring courses to equip and provide for the many different needs, to ensure a balanced provision of service and to encourage participation, through enthusiasm, faithfulness and care.

5 Outreach - Growing in witness

Is to encourage and stimulate passion for the Great Commission and to find ways of serving the local community and bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ

6 Out of Parish - Growing in influence

Would increase the areas of influence for good and ensure that the significant developments are bought to the attention of the wider church. It should stimulate interest in activities of the church wider than St Pauls.

Here are some of the areas identified for each group and are in no particular order - clearly some aspects would straddle one or more groups but this is where development would be needed as groups work closely together.

Resource & Property:-

Giving, Gift Aid
Hall, Flats,
Church Building,
Maintenance
Graveyard
Hall Committee
Employees, Office, Photocopier

Worship & Discipleship:-

Music/Organist
Sound Desk/Multimedia
Sides-people/Welcomers
Readers & Worship Leaders
Prayer Ministry/Healing
Drama/Puppets etc
Children & Youth involvement
Refreshments
Discipleship Courses
Baptism/Confirmation
Teaching/Bible Study

Youth & Children:-

KIDZOWN
Immerse
Sparks
Beta
Blast
Rocksolid
Half-term Holiday Club
Creche
Sparks On Sunday
Soul Survivor
Safe From Harm

Caring for Ourselves:-

Social Events
Home Groups
Prayer
Women’s Union
Pastoral Care
Parish Weekends/Awaydays
Women’s Day
Lunch Club
Home Groups
Elderly

Outreach:-

RISE
HOPE 08
Evangelism
ALPHA (type) Course
Through Faith Missions
CVMEN
Men’s Football
Website
Communication
Publicity

Out of Parish:-

Doorway /Night Shift
Olive Branch
Caring @ Christmas
Christian Aid
Mission Partners
‘Charity’ Giving Away
Sponsored Cycle Ride
Harvest
Lee Abbey
Mukono Link
Traidcraft
Workplace Issues
Being Christian in the World
Environmental
Deanery/Diocesan
CCT

Anjali speaks on Mothering Sunday.

 

 2nd March 2008 Anjali Kanagaratnam [21:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download