St Peter's Yaxley

…reaching out in love and faith

As We Enter A New Year…

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Dear Friends
As I write this we are preparing for Christmas and the birth of Jesus, God’s Son, sent to earth for us. By the time you read this, Christmas Day will have come and gone, and we will be thinking about a New Year, maybe about New Years resolutions or just what this year may hold for us or not.


20 years ago when I was nursing, I had volunteered to work the night shift for the night of 31st December 1999 and 1st January 2000 – the new millennium which I can’t quite believe is 20 years ago now! I have never seen so many staff in the hospital for a night shift and worried looking technicians and managers walked in and out of the ward as we waited to see if planes would fall out of the skies or whether all of our technology would go down at midnight. It came and went without event (although you can usually never describe an NHS night shift as being without event!) but nothing changed, the pumps continued to do their work, the blood pressure machine didn’t break down and the electrical system continued to light the ward lights and work the bell system. There was activity for a few hours and we realised all would be well and we continued our work for the night.


As we go in to a New Year we may be going in to this with anticipation, worry, sadness or regret or we may be excited by new opportunities, new possibilities. I am struck thinking again about that Millennium, that there was so much worry and anxiety, yet all continued on. The Bible tells us to “cast all our anxiety on to God, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5: 7). I hope that whatever the New Year holds for you, that you know the love of a God who cares for you whatever your circumstances.


With every blessing in this New Year
Rev Sarah (Vicar)


01733 248690/07498 230858/vicar@saintpeters.co.uk

Welcoming the Autumn Changes

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It’s starting to feel like Autumn is approaching. With Autumn comes change; a change in the weather, change in routine for those with children at school and a change in the clocks to name but a few.

Change is definitely upon us at St. Peter’s as we enter a period of time without a vicar; an interregnum. Change is so often deemed as negative and scary; however, the Bible tells us change is good. We, at St. Peter’s, are embracing this change and believe God has a plan for us and we need to allow change to grow us as a church.

The process is already underway to find a replacement for Jon; however, this will take time to ensure we find the right fit for our church. During this time, we’d like to reassure everyone that things will resume as normally as possible. Sunday services will be led by visiting clergy or members of the church and the majority of services will go ahead as scheduled, with the exception of 9am services on 30th September, 21st October, 4th & 11th November and 2nd & 16th December. On the majority of these dates there will be a 9am service at St. Giles in Holme, please check the Notice Sheet for details. We are delighted to confirm that Sparks, our group for 0-4s and their parents/carers, previously led by Jon and Ingrid, will continue to run fortnightly on Friday mornings from 9.30am, with the regular Sparks team in attendance.

At this time, we encourage everyone to pray for what lies ahead for St. Peter’s and for Jon & Ingrid as they move to a new Parish. We regularly hold 24 Hour Prayer events at St. Peter’s and we invite everyone to attend our next event on the 6th October, starting at 9am, where there will be prayer stations to focus our prayer on our church at this time. To book a slot, please click here.

We look forward to seeing you throughout the coming months.

God Bless

Laura

 

Laura Ashley, St. Peter’s Parish Communications Officer

07939 449255, lauraashley@saintpeters.co.uk

My Time With Mothers’ Union

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As part of a new series of website articles I will be visiting the different groups within St. Peter’s. I hope in doing this I will get to know as many of you as possible and together we can let everyone know what you do and how they can get involved.

My first visit was to Mothers’ Union. Upon arriving at church, I was greeted with a hymn book (Yes, St. Peter’s do still have hymn books!) and I took my seat within the circle. Irene Porter led us in prayer and briefly discussed “business”. MU had recently lost a member, she was remembered compassionately and her funeral flowers were with us in remembrance. Irene spoke of a donation that was to be made to MU from the family and ways the money could be used; possibly to help children suffering bereavements. It was then that I realised how lucky I was to be part of a group of wonderful women who want to make a difference in people’s lives, through the work they do in Mothers’ Union.

We sang a hymn and also enjoyed trying to master the classic ‘In an English Country Garden’. Giggles were a plenty as we tried to squeeze in all the lyrics and by the last verse (there were a fair few) we were beginning to master it. It was after the singing that I learnt where the organ was in St. Peter’s; that secret staircase had baffled me for years!

Ros Wright was visiting the MU to talk about ‘The Christian Meaning of Garden Flowers’. Ros guidePassion Flowerd us through the plants in our gardens and spoke of how we can relate these to events and people in the Bible. Did you know that over 100 plants are mentioned in the Bible? The flower that most stood out to me was the Passion Flower, also known as “Espina de Christo” – Christ’s Thorns. Each part of the flower holds symbolic meaning; the 3 stigma represent the 3 nails that held Jesus to the cross and the 5 anthers are the 5 sacred wounds. The tendrils of flower resemble the whippings and the filaments depict the crown of thorns. When I was a child I used to find the Passion Flower a scary looking plant, now I will see it in a very different light; it is a reminder of how much Jesus loves me!

Following the talk, we had tea and biscuits. I was happily surprised to see we were having tea in cups and saucers, something I am very fond of! Chatter amongst members ensued and I was made to feel welcome and met some truly encouraging individuals.

The following Tuesday, I attended MU: Engage. Engage is a much more informal gathering and is a chance for women to get together for fellowship, prayer and advice. We enjoyed a cup of tea (once again in the lovely cups and saucers) and delicious cake. Once we’d all had a catch up, we ventured upstairs to the cosy upper room of the Church. Irene led us in discussion; this week’s topic was about Dash Cams and Sat Navs. We spoke about our preferences and quickly conversation turned towards our own life experiences.

Sitting amongst everyone, I knew I was sat amongst friends. Everyone was open, kind and understanding. There were so many years of knowledge in one room and everyone wanted to help one another in any struggles that they may be facing. Their compassion for one another was beautiful. Mothers’ Union surpassed any preconceived expectations I had and despite being somewhat younger than the regular attendees I still felt very much at home.

I would like to thank everyone at Mothers’ Union for making me feel welcome; I’ve made new friends and experienced first hand what a fun, caring group you are. I will see you all again soon!

If you are interested in attending Mothers’ Union or would like more information, please speak with Irene. You do not need to be a member or mother to attend; everyone is welcome. To see the amazing work that Mothers’ Union do, visit www.mothersunion.org

Mothers’ Union meet:

Alternate Tuesdays for MU: Engage, 10:00-11:30am, at SPC.  The next MU: Engage is taking place on Tuesday 22nd May 2018.

The next monthly meeting at St. Peter’s is on Thursday 21st June 2018, at 1.30pm.

The Mothers’ Union are hosting a Teddy Bears Picnic for parents with Pre-schoolers on Thursday 17th May, at 12:00pm. All food is generously provided by the MU.

If you would like me to visit your group or event, please contact me to discuss details.                                         Laura Ashley (PCO) 07939 449255, lauraashley@saintpeters.co.uk

Story time

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I wonder if you’ve got a favourite story?

Perhaps a story you remember being read to you as a child? Perhaps a story that brings to mind memories of a particular time in your life? Stories are powerful. They can make us smile and they can make us cry. They can put a swing in our step or leave us poignantly reflecting. They can even change the way we think about our lives or about other people. Stories don’t always provide us with answers, but the images, the thoughts and the feelings they evoke can shape how we understand the world.

There is an old saying I like that ‘God created humans because God loves stories’. I wonder if you have ever thought of your life as part of a story? Despite common misconceptions, the Bible is not primarily a book of rules nor is it simply a book of factual information. Rather, it is the story of God’s interaction with people throughout history. Stretching deep into the past and looking longingly to the future, it tells a narrative of a God intimately involved in human life with all its joys and struggles, its messiness and its hopes. A story that far from leaving us passive observers actually calls us to participate in the story it continues to tell.

In April, we are starting a new group at St. Peter’s called Encounter which will provide a space to explore our own lives alongside the Christian narrative; to see our stories in the light of God’s story. You do not have to be a Christian, attend a church or even have read the Bible to come along and it is ideally suited for those who want to think more about life, faith and spirituality in an informal environment. It is a place where all stories are valuable, all questions are valid and there will be absolutely no jargon.

Join us at Encounter

Beginning on Friday 15 April, Encounter will meet on alternate Friday mornings at St. Peter’s. Tea, coffee and pastries will be served from 9.15am. A short, thought-provoking DVD will be shown at 10.00am followed by time to ponder, discuss and reflect. There is no charge and a crèche will be provided if you wish to attend with young children.

Mark Fuller (P) 07766 310509; markfuller@saintpeters.co.uk

Read this article in the Yaxley Gazette.