St Peter's Yaxley

…reaching out in love and faith

Are you being called to lead and grow our ministry?

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The Bishop of Ely seeks to make an appointment for the post of Vicar to serve in the parish of Yaxley, Cambridgeshire.

Yaxley is a single church parish, with an all-age congregation, in one of the largest villages in the country. With a population of over 10,000, close to the A1 and next to Peterborough, it retains a village community feel, with all the schools, amenities and activities one would hope for.

We are seeking a vicar who is ready for the challenge of developing a fresh approach to our vision.

In particular, we would like our new vicar to:

  • Be energetic and youthful-minded
  • Be Spirit-filled
  • Interact imaginatively and creatively with children
  • Engage in modern worship
  • Have a pastoral heart
  • Have strength of character
  • Engage with people on a personal level
  • Have leadership and organisational skills
  • Be willing and keen to take on new initiatives
  • Have a good sense of humour

What can we offer?

  • A loving and welcoming church family
  • Spiritual and prayerful support
  • An active and supportive PCC led by two experienced churchwardens
  • A proactive and passionate parish communications officer
  • Three retired clergy, a pastoral authorised lay minister (ALM) and occasional preachers
  • Two Youth ALMs in training
  • Volunteer baptism and wedding administrators
  • A host of skilled volunteers involved in all aspects of church life
  • A beautiful heated Grade 1 listed building that we are continuing to adapt to meet the needs of a modern, growing, worshipping community

To enquire, please contact the Archdeacon of Huntingdon and Wisbech, Hugh McCurdy:
e. archdeacon.handw@elydiocese.org
t. 01353 652709 or 01353 658404

Click here to download a copy of our Parish Profile.

Together We Are A Community

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The term community gets used a lot these days but what do we actually mean by community?

In the Bible, God encourages us to take care of one another; through this we ensure a thriving community. Therefore, the idea of community comes from a sense of responsibility that we have for each other.

The community of Yaxley, along with the surrounding villages, have shown overwhelming care for each other through the support of the Yaxley Foodbank over the past year. A staggering 7145kg of food was donated between September 2017 and August 2018. We’ve also recently celebrated the Harvest Festival, where we’ve had fantastic support from the school communities in and around Yaxley.

The donations we receive help many people and families, and we would like to say a big thank you for your generosity in supporting local people in need. We would also like to thank everyone who signpost to Foodbank and all those who volunteer their time to help and be a friend to those in need. It takes a team, a community, to ensure the success of the project.

Without our sense of responsibility to one another, great community projects such as the Community Fridge and the Winter Night Shelter, and St. Peter’s projects like Yaxley Foodbank and Community Sunday, would not succeed. It is through the help and kindness of each other that we are able to improve situations for those less fortunate, and ensure our communities thrive.

Thank you again for your continued support for your community.

If you would like more information on the Yaxley Foodbank, or other community areas God has called St. Peter’s to invest in, please visit www.saintpeters.co.uk/community

Follow St. Peter’s Church on Facebook and Instagram to see updates on the Foodbank’s shopping list.

God Bless

Laura

 

Parish Communications Officer

07939 449255, lauraashley@saintpeters.co.uk

 

 

Annual Church Report 2017-18

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There is much to celebrate as we look back on 2017. 

In August we said goodbye to Mark, Becci, Josie and Ethan after just two years with us. Whilst this was a shorter period than we initially expected, the role which Mark left us for fits perfectly with his gifts and passions. I would like to record my thanks to Mark and the rest of the family for everything which they contributed to life and ministry at St. Peter’s and beyond while they were with us.

There is much to celebrate as we look back on 2017. It seems to me that hardly a Sunday goes by when we are not privileged to welcome someone new to the 11am service.  The 9am and 7pm Sunday services continue at similar levels to previous years.
Our outreach to those who we don’t generally see on a Sunday continues to grow and several of these initiatives are detailed elsewhere in the report. Food Bank has continued to serve those in need and early signs are that 2018 will be the busiest year yet. We have run various CAP money courses during the year. SPARKS, our group for 0-4 year olds and their parents / carers on a Friday morning continues to thrive. We regularly have 40-50 children and those looking after them at each session.

During the sermon series on Revelation I invited both individuals and groups to write the letter that they believed Jesus would write to the church of St. Peter’s today. My thanks to those of you who chose to engage with this process and to spend time prayerfully reflecting on what Jesus would say to us as a church. These letters were shared with the church family in February (2018) at a “Vision Morning”. From the letters and the discussions, we have a basis for re-casting our vision as a church for the future. A key challenge for 2018 will be to find the strategy to implement our vision, and to seek to ensure that everyone plays their part in building God’s Kingdom.

Read the Full Report.

Jon Randall (Vicar) 01733 240339; vicar@saintpeters.co.uk

You’re hired – Parish Communications Officer

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St. Peter’s Church, Yaxley are thrilled to announce the appointment of Laura Ashley to the position of Parish Communications Officer.

Laura joins us to support our growing ministry team and take on the responsibility of external communications management and internal administration. Her role covers a broad scope in which she will play a pivotal role in the life of the church.

She brings with her a wealth of experience, having advanced through progressively more responsible positions in project management, communications and administration. Laura has done this for a variety of public organisations, where she has played a key part in the facilitation and organisation of a number of vital projects and events.

Furthermore, Laura has agreed to take over as PCC Secretary, following our Annual Parish Church Meeting (APCM). We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Fran Russell for her many years of faithful service in this role.

This is a great opportunity for Laura to support bringing the vision of St. Peter’s to life in Yaxley and beyond. Likewise, Laura considers this an opportunity for her to explore and go deeper in her own faith as part of the church family.

Please join us in welcoming Laura to St. Peter’s and congratulating her on her new position!

Unexpected generosity of infinite value

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I wonder if you are annoyed when you travel on the bus or train by other people talking very loudly on their phones?

Well, making a phone call on the train had an unexpectedly positive outcome for a student recently. She was on the phone to her mother and crying about the amount of debt she was in. She had given up her part-time job in order to concentrate on her studies and was struggling to make ends meet. At the end of the call she fell asleep. When she woke up she found 5 x £20 notes folded under her napkin. Another passenger had heard her phone call and left the money for her anonymously. The student launched a Facebook campaign to try to find the generous passenger. I don’t know if she has managed to find them.

What an amazing act of generosity and giving with no expectation of gaining anything in return by her fellow passenger. At the end of this month we commemorate the generosity and self-giving of Jesus on the cross and we celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday. When he rose from the dead Jesus folded up his grave clothes and left them in the grave. The student found £100 under her folded napkin. If we look beneath the folded grave clothes at the reality of what lies behind them we can discover something of infinite value – not in monetary terms, but in terms of everlasting life.

As I said, I don’t know if the student has found her benefactor. If you would like to find out more about the one who has bought you eternal life, why not join us at a service over Easter? Our main services at St. Peter’s on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday are at 11.00am. For details of our other services, please take a look at our events calendar. Alternatively, give me a call on the number below. Similarly, if you don’t live in Yaxley and cannot find the times of services in your local church, please contact us and we’ll put you in touch with your local church.

With my prayers that you might find the eternal life Jesus has won for you this Easter.

Jon Randall (Vicar) 07939 449255; vicar@saintpeters.co.uk

Read this article in the Yaxley Gazette.