Dear friends
Ministry, ordination and vocation are in my mind as I write this month’s letter.
The changing face of bishops is crystalised in the arrival of the first woman bishop to serve in our diocese. When you receive this magazine, Dr Jill Duff will be the newly ordained Bishop of Lancaster. She is well known to Jane, having set up and run the North West hub of St Mellitus theological training institute. She has brought to this plenty of flair and a real enthusiasm for the gospel which I’m sure will shine in her ministry as a bishop. And she is no ivory-tower academic – before her last role, Jill was a parish priest in some pretty tough and deprived parishes, so she knows what its like on the ground.
At the same time Jane is just one year away from her ordination as a deacon (and subsequently all being well as a priest a year later). We continue to benefit so much from all she brings to the life of our parishes and I know that you will continue to support her through this coming year which will be a busy and fast one for her. She will be away from the benefice from 23rd September to end October, on a short-term placement in Chorley (at the parish where I was curate.)
Thinking of St Laurence’s Chorley reminds me that its now 15 years I’ve served as a priest, 16 as a deacon. Where does the time go? It remains an amazing privilege to serve God in this way, and to share so many special occasions, happy and sad, with so many people. Thank you for your continued support.
God is always in the business of calling people to his service – all Christians through their baptism are called to use their gifts to serve him. And from the great company of God’s people he calls some to be priests and deacons, and specific lay ministries such as reader. Maybe that’s you. If you’ve an inkling God may be calling you to a new form of service in our parishes, or perhaps even to an authorised or ordained ministry in the wider church, don’t keep that to yourself, but do have a word.
In the meantime please pray for Bishop Jill, for Jane, for those being ordained at this time of year as deacons and priests, and for me your friend and vicar

Toby

Stewardship
If you were at All Saints’ annual meeting in April, you will have heard John Blysniuk talk about the stewardship programme planned for the autumn. A small group is continuing to plan for the programme and you will hear a little more about it across our services in the middle of July. The main programme will run from harvest – which this year will be held on 7th October – to All Saints’ Sunday on 4th November. Stewardship is the principle that undergirds Christian giving. It is the conviction that all that is, and all that we have, belongs to God. What is in our hands has been entrusted to us by God and we must use it wisely – and give from it towards the work of the church and the spread of the gospel. Such giving should be generous, willing and proportionate to our means. There is a financial focus, but the stewardship principal applies equally to how we see our time, talents and gifts. Please join me in praying that the programme will help us all to respond to God’s generosity with open hearts and minds, remembering that it is not intended as a fundraising appeal but as a chance for us all to grow in our understanding and in our response to God.
At St James’ we are also looking to hold a stewardship programme, maybe in 2019.
Have you heard of Cursillo?
Cursillo is a movement in the Anglican church that seeks to inspire and support Christians to have a living faith and to make a difference for Christ in their parishes and wherever they find themselves – at home, work or leisure. It fits in very well with the themes of the diocesan vision.
Cursillo is a Spanish word (the movement began in Spain after the War, originally in the Catholic Church, before spreading to the Anglican Communion). Cursillo literally means ‘short course’ – it is a short course in Christianity, aimed not at seekers, but at baptised, practising Christians who want to grow in their faith and action. The short course is a three day programme, which locally takes place in Whalley Abbey. The rest of life is then considered as the ‘fourth day’ living in the light of the gospel.
Cursillo teaches participants to have a rule whereby you are active in prayer, study and action. To encourage each other, people are encouraged to attend gatherings or ‘ultreyas’ – another Spanish word, which means keep going! You can gather regularly as part of a small group, but also attend diocesan gatherings several times a year. We are hosting the next one here at All Saints’ on the evening of Tuesday 10th July at 7pm. Everyone is very welcome and it would be an easy way to find out a little bit more about Cursillo and meet some of the people who are involved.
I found my Cursillo to be a valuable experience, and I know that for a lot of people their Cursillo has had a lasting (positive!) effect on their faith. If you’d like to find out more, including details of the next Cursillo weekend, which comes up in late October, please have a word with the vicar.
School anniversary services and leavers
July gives us a chance to celebrate the life of our very special parish primary schools and the good work of teaching and learning within a Christian context that takes place within them. Do come and support the school anniversary services at Altham (1st) or All Saints (8th) – and do keep all the leavers in your prayers as they prepare for new beginnings in their high schools. This year we have a large group of confirmation candidates beginning their preparation, so please pray for them too – and look out for them at church and given them a warm welcome!
Dementia Friendly Church
We are working towards being dementia friendly churches. One step in this gradual programme is that Dr David Woodcock will give a talk on dementia awareness in place of the sermon on Sunday 1st July. Then on Thursday 5th July (which fortuitously is the 70th birthday of the National Health Service) there will be a special meeting on the theme of dementia friendly churches with Brian Topping who chairs the very active ‘Dementia Friendly Rossendale’. If you’d like to attend this meeting please contact David or Caroline Woodcock.
Garden Party and Songs of Praise
Everyone is welcome to the vicarage garden (weather permitting – if wet in church) on Sunday 15th July for tea and cake from 3pm and informal ‘songs of praise’ at 4pm. We’ve had a lovely time doing this over the last two years so if you’ve not been before do come and join those who have!
Benefice service and brunch
On 22nd July everyone is invited to Altham to celebrate the feast of their patron saint, James the Apostle, at 9:30am, followed by ‘brunch’ at Simply Classic. The cooked breakfast will cost c.£8.50 and booking sheets are now at the back of both churches. Do come and enjoy this simple time of worship and fellowship for people from all congregations in our benefice.
Summer Activity Day – 21 August
Our theme this summer will be super heroes. All children have heroes, and superheroes are quite a thing. We will be thinking especially of some of the heroes of the Old Testmanet and of Jesus our greatest hero of all. If you can help on the day please speak to Barbara Anderson or Elaine Lockwood. Last year we welcomed almost 90 children, from all four local schools, so this is a significant outreach for our parish which appreciates your support and prayers.

The Church relies on volunteers to help keep it clean and tidy. Although  volunteers do cleaning tasks weekly, we are aiming to give the church a good ‘spring’ clean about every six weeks.  There are a variety of tasks to do – from sweeping to mopping; dusting & polishing and of course the more volunteers there are the quicker the jobs get done.

Please you can give an hour of your time to help. The Church is open for cleaning at 10:00am.

Thank you.

 

Thanks to everyone who took time to complete a skills audit last November; what a great range of talents and skills we are blessed with among our church community. Now we want to share with you how the audit is being used.
The audit has enabled us to identify who has the skills and willingness to advise us on key issues or to take on roles within the church. It is through the audit we were able to identify a potential Church Treasurer and as a result we are delighted that Linda Bracewell agreed to take on the challenge and is embracing it whole heartedly. We have also been able to identify one two others who we may, on occasion, ask to deal with other money related matters.
Likewise, the audit highlighted members of the congregation who we could approach to advise us or help with some of the ‘mechanics’ of staging the ‘Christmas Tree Festival’; and with the next children’s activities day coning up in August, we have already consulted the audit summary to see who may be willing and able to support the event and we are in the process of approaching those people.
At the first PCC meeting after the AGM in April, the PCC agreed on the list formal committees and some smaller, sometimes short – term, working groups. It is hoped that the working groups will consist of PCC members & non- members, as this help to enrich discussion and to become a more inclusive church. Again, in the next few months, the audit will be used to identify people who have expressed an interest in particular areas covered by the working groups, who we may approach.
So thanks once again for your support – the more involved we all become the greater things we will be able to achieve together in our attempt to ‘bring God’s love into the heart of the community’.
If there is any member of the congregation who did not complete the audit, but wants to do so or who wants to contribute in some way please speak to one of the wardens. Thank you.

Dear friends
As I write the royal wedding is fresh in people’s minds. A wedding with a great deal more informality than previous royal weddings – and a very different style of sermon. People’s responses to Bishop Curry’s address have been mixed, but there is no doubt that it made an impact.

Naturally, it took the theme of love. What was important from a Christian standpoint was that it pointed us from the human love of a couple, and their friends, to God who is love and the source of all true love. He said,
“Oh there’s power – power in love. Not just in its romantic forms, but any form, any shape of love…And there’s a reason for it. The reason has to do with the source. We were made by a power of love, and our lives were meant – and are meant – to be lived in that love. That’s why we are here. Ultimately the source of love is God himself: the source of all of our lives.”

We have just celebrated the season of Easter. First came the solemnity of Good Friday – when we drew close to the greatest mystery of God’s love poured out for a fallen and broken humanity as Jesus died for us on the cross. Easter Day showed the first fruits of the redeeming power of love as Jesus rose from the dead. That love began to ripple out as Jesus re-gathered his disciples, forgave them, restored them in faith, and finally at Pentecost put the very source of love, God the Holy Spirit, into their hearts that they might bear that love to the ends of the earth.

We are Jesus’ disciples today, and he has given us his Spirit, which is the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of love. It is the Spirit who alone can set us ‘on fire’ with true love, and give us the endurance to keep on loving in every circumstance of life. That is both in our own personal lives, in our families, relationship and local church. And also in the wider love that we are called to bear – the love that should make us reach out to others, and indeed to seek to change the world.

So don’t leave the Holy Spirit behind with the Day of Pentecost. Open your heart every day to be filled again with God’s own presence, his goodness, his grace, his strength and his love. And so may the fruit of the Spirit be grown in us, in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. The greatest of which is love.
Yours in God’s love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Toby

Did you realise that your giving to church allows us to support other causes?
We encourage every member of our churches to give to God’s work, proportionally to their income. Echoing this, both PCCs have a policy of giving 10% of their general giving (whether on the plate, by envelope or standing order) to support the work of other causes.
All Saints’ PCC has just made its gifts out of the income for 2017 which total £5071. This year we decided that it would be best to support just three charities each year – one working in mission worldwide, one in mission in the UK and one local charity. This time we are supporting Church Mission Society, Gideons and the Lancashire Women’s Centre (Accrington) in each of these charities. If you would like to suggest future beneficiaries in one of these categories, please let Linda Bracewell, our treasurer, know and the PCC will consider it for a coming year.

Special Saturdays in June
On the 9th June, All Saints’ School PTFA are holding a summer fete in the school grounds from 11am-3pm. All are most welcome to come and enjoy the activities, stalls and refreshments (including the tea and cake stall run by our very own Mothers’ Union).
On the morning of 16th June why not get down to the Walton Arms Car Park in Altham and pick up a bargain at the Car Boot Sale? Refreshments available.
On the weekend of 23rd June do pray for some of our young people (from both churches) attending the Diocesan Youth Camp at Hothersall Lodge, near Longridge.
On the 30th June, Clayton-le-Moors is hosting Armed Forces Day for the borough of Hyndburn. There will be a procession from Barnes Square (moving off at 11:30), and a short observance at the War Memorial (but to remember not the dead but serving soldiers).

Special Sundays in July
During July we always celebrate the life of our church primary schools, and in particular our Year 6 children as they prepare to leave, through anniversary services. St James’ will be on 1st July and All Saints’ on 8th July.
On the 1st July at All Saints’ in place of the usual sermon, Dr David Woodcock will give a short talk helping us all to be more aware of dementia and how to act in a way that is supportive of those living with dementia and their carers. DO make a special effort to be there.
On the afternoon of 15th July, we invite you once again to the vicarage garden for tea and cake and ‘songs of praise’.
Finally, on 22nd July everyone is invited to Altham for the patronal festival at 9:30am, followed by ‘brunch’ at Simply Classic. This was much enjoyed last year so look out for booking sheets!

Fairtrade Stall
All Saints’ PCC has decided to cease running the fairtrade stall. Turnover has been falling over recent years and the stall is now making a loss. The good news is that fairtrade products are now far more accessible in the supermarkets – so do please keep buying food that is produced at a fair price for the farmers, including the fairtrade premium that allows for development. And for a full range of fairly traded goods, why not visit the ‘One Planet’ co-op on Abbey Street in Accrington? Thank you to Adele Helm for running the stall over the past years. The PCC will consider how best to fulfil our commitment to being a fair trade church in other ways.

Scargill update
I’m delighted that we have 41 adults and 24 children booked in for the weekend at Scargill House in September, as well as a few others who have indicated that they would like to go. End of June is the deadline for signing up and paying so if anyone else would like to come, please shout! We can only allocate you a single room, as the doubles and twins have long since been snapped up. The theme for the input (mostly on the Saturday morning) will be themed around the story of the Emmaus road, when the risen Lord comes alongside two friends, grieving and confused, and gradually unfolds the scriptures to them before making himself known in the breaking of bread. We will also be able to enjoy the wonderful scenery, the yummy meals, the play equipment, art room, etc, etc. Do pray for those who will be going that it will be a joyful and meaningful time for everyone.

Confirmation
Confirmation sessions for those in the current Year 6 will be starting shortly, Thursday evenings at 6pm. If your child is at All Saints’ or Altham St James’ Schools they will get information automatically. If not, please do ask – or look out on the weekly sheets or Facebook. Adult confirmation preparation will begin in September. The confirmation will be held on 8th November.

Thy Kingdom Come
Thank you to everyone who joined in focussed prayer during the period between Ascension and Pentecost. I hope you found the ‘novena’ booklets useful – any feedback would be appreciated to help us decide whether to invest in them again. A big thank you to Jane Lee and Julie Blysniuk for arranging our prayer stations. I was disappointed that very few adults came to church to use them, but the great thing was that all the children from All Saints’ came over to use them, class by class and really enjoyed the experience.