Sunday 10th  - 24th April 2022
 
Dear friends
 
Well this is my last newsletter before I retire, and before Steph and I say goodbye to our church family and all the friends we have made here in Walshaw over the last six years.
We are going to miss you all  … we’ll miss worshipping with you and working alongside you. We’ll miss our times with the tots and parents / carers at Baby & Toddler group. We’ll miss our brill times in school and the family special events we have shared in with Richard & Lisa at the Victoria Walshaw … and more.
We are going to miss you all.
 
However, we still have some special services to look forward to over the next two weeks and we do hope to see you at some or all of these … as we enter into the passion story, celebrate the risen Christ and as we say goodbye in our final service on 24th April.
 
Here are a few of the things coming up in the next fortnight …
 
For your diary and for your prayers ….
Saturday 9th April (this Saturday) 9.30am – 11.30am at St Andrews Radcliffe: 'Who let the dads out?' All dads, granddads, uncles and male carers with children welcome! With it being just before Holy Week there’ll be an Easter Egg hunt and associated Easter fun & crafts too!
Sunday 10th April (this Sunday) 11am: Palm Sunday Morning Worship & Childrens Church (please note … not a Holy Communion service). Refreshments from 10.30am.
Monday 11th April 2pm: An Easter Service of Holy Communion at Walshaw Hall. All welcome to join us for this service with the staff and residents of Walshaw Hall. We will be singing some hymns and this will be our firth Holy Communion since pre-pandemic. Please take a lateral flow test before you come. We will meet at the entrance at 1.45pm.
Monday 11th April 7pm: A Prayer Walk for the Borough of Bury. An hour to pray on the streets of Bury for our town. Please meet at the Robert Peel statue in town near the Parish Church.
Tuesday 12th April 7.30pm – 8.30pm: Our monthly prayer meeting, praying for our church our community, our nation and the world. This is in church. All welcome.
Thursday 14th April 7.30pm: Maundy Thursday ‘said’ Holy Communion Service.
Friday 15th April 10.30am: Good Friday ‘Time at the Cross’ a quiet reflective service on this special day.
Friday 15th April 12 noon: A Walk of Witness with Churches Together in Bury, starting at Bury United Reformed Church

Sunday 17th April 9am: Easter Sunday ‘said’ Holy Communion Service
Sunday 17th April 11am: Easter Sunday All Age Celebration with Baptisms. Refreshments from 10.30am.
Wednesday 20th April 10am - 11.15am: Baby & Toddler Group is back after its Easter holiday.
Wednesday 20th April 7.30pm: Walshaw Community Choir returns after our Easter break ... if you would like to join us or give us a try just come along. We meet in the church building.

Sunday 24th April 11am: All Age Holy Communion Service with the Bishop of Bolton, Mark Ashcroft and our school choir and Baby & Toddler Group will be singing too. This is mine and Steph’s last service. Refreshments from 10.30am.
 
Healing Prayer Course at St Andrews Radcliffe
This is really exciting …In April / May St Andrews will be hosting a course led by Bishop Graham Dow on ‘healing prayer’ Wednesday evenings at 7.30pm. More information to follow (I’ll send an email out when I have it) but you might want to put it in your diary.
 
The next step in your walk of faith: Confirmation
In July we will be sharing in a Confirmation Service at St Andrews Radcliffe. If you were baptised as a baby and would like to make your baptism promises for yourself, or you were baptised as an adult and want to take the next step in your walk of faith, please have a word with me in the next couple of weeks.
 
Porch Boxes
You have all been so generous with your giving to Porch Boxes Foodbank this last 12 months and more. Please continue to give generously. Donations can be left at the back of church on a Sunday. As my retirement begins we will no longer be collecting items at the vicarage.
 
Finally …
Please pray for one another and for your church leaders including the  PCC, Wardens (Nicola G, Pat W & Helen C) and Jo McK in her role as Lay Lead for Ministry and Mission.
 
If you could keep us in our prayers as we move on, and as we prepare to move house, ministry and more, we would really appreciate it.
 
Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers over the last six years. Have I said “We are going to miss you”? You will always be in our hearts and prayers.
 
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart …
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
(Philippians 1: 3 – 11)
 
Every blessing & all our love
Steve (& Steph)