Weekly Newsletter

Morning Service at 10.30 on Sunday 15th February at Glenvale C of E School

Message from the Vicar:

‘Connecting with Jesus, with each other, with the community’

DAY OF FASTING AND PRAYER FOR OUR WORLD

Hello everyone. I’m sure it can’t have escaped your notice that awful things are happening in the world right now. Political unrest, threats of invasion / seizing territory, innocent people being murdered for simply helping others while corrupt governments gaslight their people, children being arrested for simply being of a different race, conflict in the Holy Land – the list goes on and on.

It seems very bleak.
BUT there is something, as God’s people, that we can do. We can pray.

Prayer is powerful. And sustained Prayer is VERY powerful. And it’s never been more urgently needed.

So we have decided to hold a day of prayer (and fasting, if you wish) on Saturday Feb 28th from 7am to 7pm.

There will be half hour slots available for church members to sign up for, so that we will be having a full 12 hours of prayer for our world. If you wish to fast for these 12 hours also, we will provide guidelines for how to go about this. We’ll also provide a list of things to pray for closer to the day as things change rapidly and we want it to be as up to date as possible.
You can pray wherever you are for your chosen time slot.

At the end of the 12 hours, at 7pm, there will be an opportunity for us to come together, pray some more and break the fast together with a simple bring and share meal. This will be hosted at my house.

If you’d like more details please email me at jackiebrookscheesman@yahoo.co.uk, or I will have a sign-up sheet with me at the next couple of services

Weekly Services:

This Sunday will be a communion service.

Midweek Service at Glenvale Care Home:

Extra News

Vicar moving on (statement released 2nd Feb): :

“It has been an immense privilege being the vicar here but I feel the time is right for me to move on. I’m going to explain why.

Essentially I feel that the church needs a different sort of leader for the season it is now in. I believe I have done what I was asked to do when I came here (to enable the church to re-establish after the pandemic, to create a new vision, to resolve where the church permanent home would be, and to grow the church younger). But the church is in a different season that requires something different from it’s Vicar.

These decisions and the timing of these things are always multi-faceted and for me, fall into 3 categories – family, church / role & personal:

Family: Ez finishes his GCSEs in the summer and will be going to Tresham College in Kettering after that, so if we’re going to make a move, that’s a good time to do it, which for us will be back to our family home in Kettering. It makes sense of the season of our family. So I’m not looking to go to another parish, I always felt called here.

Church / role and the personal, they all kind of melt into one really but:
Church / Role:
As well as feeling that the church is in a different season and needs a different type of Vicar, there are issues for me around being in a team and being resourced effectively which has left me feeling like I cannot be who I really am. Many will know that I was ill for a couple of months last year, for all sorts of reasons, but in part because I had been carrying the weight of far too many things. I was doing the normal Vicar stuff but to respond to the needs of the church in my first few years here (and be who I am), I spent much time being present in the community, pioneering new things, and setting a clear, and what I hope is a future proof, church structure. It required someone to lead in a particular way. Firstly, I don’t think the church needs that kind of leadership now and secondly, when I returned from being ill I realised that I was no longer in a position to work in the way that I had and I needed to slow down.
Personal: Coupled alongside this, for the last 2.5 years Chris has also been working full time. Having both of us working full time is a big ask. But being the Vicar demands much more than full time, and I recognise I am no longer able to give what I would want to give to you.

I have also sensed for a while that the Lord might be calling me towards something quite different, something that allows me to slow down a bit and be available to my family – that is Hospital Chaplaincy. I don’t have another role to go to at this point in time, so it’s a bit scary but I do spend a couple of hours a week with Kettering hospital chaplaincy team which has helped me discern this decision and I’m just trusting God for the next step.

Most people would perhaps wait until they are offered another role but I wanted to do this in a timely way that is the most helpful to my family, to you as a church as well as being mindful that our curates are just about to complete their training and discerning what their next steps are. I am asked to give at least 3 months notice but that would mean I would have given my notice just as I was going on Sabbatical which is not very helpful for anyone! By giving 7 months notice it really allows the PCC time to assess, ask itself who are we and what are our priorities, leading to creating a strong parish profile to appoint someone new, and for me to be around for 3 months prior to sabbatical enabling some transition.

My last Sunday will be the 2nd August, so I’ll be back from sabbatical to say goodbye. My family will continue to worship with NWAC during my sabbatical. Ez may even decide to continue worshipping here after that, for him, this is his church where he has grown up, he has relationships that matter to him and where he feels he has been able to grow and use his gifts.

What happens now is that the Archdeacon will meet with the PCC to start the process of recruiting. Myself, Ben and Livvi cannot be part of that process but my hope is that because I’m giving a long notice period there won’t be a long interregnum.

If you have any questions please come and talk to me.

Revd Dawn Airey”

The Real Easter Egg

For Easter this year, how about giving your loved ones the ONLY Easter Egg which contains the true Easter message?

Made by The Meaningful Chocolate Company, this range of products cannot be found in supermarkets (who refuse to stock them) but only online direct from the company.

We are able to order in bulk as a church. So if you’d like to order some, this is the range:

Original milk chocolate egg £6.20
Dark chocolate egg £6.90
Fun pack of 6 small milk chocolate eggs £6.50
Easter Blessing bar £3.20
Mug with 3 small eggs £9.99

If we are able to order enough, the price will reduce a little.
Each egg comes with an Easter story booklet and the packaging reflects a Christian Easter. The milk chocolate is also palm-oil free.

If you’d like to buy some, see me at services where I will have the literature to show you, or alternatively email me.

To keep prices low and qualify for free delivery, we must order by 10th March.

If you have any queries, email me at jackiebrookscheesman@yahoo.co.uk

Parish Prayer:

There are two opportunities to pray together as a parish each week:

1) Sunday mornings from 9.45am in the glass pod off the corridor at Glenvale School.

2) Tuesday mornings, 11am at the Vicarage.

Prayer Chain:

If you would like to send a prayer request to the prayer chain, or join the prayer chain, please contact Jackie Brooks Cheesman: jackiebrookscheesman@yahoo.co.uk

Giving:

Thank you to you all for your sacrificial giving. If you would like to give to the work and ministry of the church please collect a form from the table at church which will enable you to give via the recommended route of the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS). However, people are welcome to give in whatever way suits them and please consider gift aiding your contribution so that the church receives an extra 25%.

You can also give via the QR code:

Please contact Dale Gilbert for more information: treasurer@nwanglicanchurch.co.uk

Church Vision – Key Priorities

Discipleship:

Connect Groups:

Connect Group Facilitators:

Monday afternoon (fortnightly 2-4pm): Carol Maycock
Wednesday evening (fortnightly 7.30pm): Ruth Wium
Thursday morning (fortnightly 10.00am): Alan Palmer
1st Sundays in the month evening (12.20): Rev Livvi Haughton-Scales

Under 18’s:

Wholeness in Jesus/wellbeing

Creations Craft Group:

Bereavement Support Group:

The Facebook support group has 85 members and continues. If anyone feels they have the capacity and passion for reaching out to those bereaved, please speak to me.

Safeguarding:

As God’s distinctive community we want to be a church that is safe for everyone. Where there are safeguarding concerns please talk to me (or if I am away, to John Gilyead our parish safeguarding officer) as soon as they arise. Even if you’re not sure, just talk to me anyway….please. Dawn.