Newsletter 14th October

Leesfield Parish – 14th October 2018

Today, regular members of our congregations are asked to complete the Annual Income Surveys. This is how the Diocese works out how much we in Leesfield Parish can afford to contribute through our Parish Share towards the cost of clergy, training and housing, and they do this by taking into account worshippers’ income. If you are aged 16 years or over, and have attended this church at least 12 times in the past year, please complete the confidential and anonymous form which is available at the back of church, fold it and place it in the sealed box. Only your own personal income, rather than household income, should be used to fill in the form. It is really important that everyone who is eligible completes the form, even (indeed especially) if you have little, or no, personal income.

The Monday Emmaus Group meets tomorrow at 1.30 pm in St Thomas’ Community Room.

The Deanery event “We are all Disciples” on Saturday 20th October at St John’s Church, Hey has now been shortened, and will finish at around 1.10 pm. There will no longer be a need to bring a packed lunch, but refreshments will be provided and there will be plenty of opportunity to chat to people from other churches during group sessions and breaks.

Bishop Mark will lead a session on “Understanding St Luke’s Gospel Better”, and Jamie Mackenzie will speak about “Being more comfortable as Disciples”. The organisers of the event need to know numbers as soon as possible, so if you are able to come along please let us know.

St Thomas’ DCC is tomorrow, Monday the 15th, 7 pm at St Thomas’ and St Agnes’ Open Forum is on Wednesday the 17th, 8 pm at St Agnes’. Both the DCC and Open Forum meetings are open to all members of our congregations, so please do come along and join the conversations.

Churches Together in Lees and District is a group of Christian Churches of all denominations in our locality, who join together in several services and events throughout the year. The next Open Meeting is this Tuesday, 7.30 pm at Zion Methodist, and everyone is welcome to come and meet our fellow Christians.

The Ladies of Leesfield are hosting a Quiz Night in St Thomas’ Community Room at 7.30 pm on Thursday 18th October. Please do join us, and bring a friend. Refreshments and raffle £3.

If anyone is submitting handwritten articles for the next issue of “Voice” magazine please could they be handed in at church by Sunday, 28th October. Items sent via email will be ok to submit by the 11th November.

Items for the newsletter, website and facebook pages to Liz (lizzy.dent@googlemail.com) whenever you want to send. Lots of lovely pictures please!

Newsletter 7th October

Leesfield Parish – 7th October 2018

Today is our Parish Harvest Service. Many thanks for all your gifts, which this year are going to Impact Community Church, Oldham Street Angels and the Booth Centre, Manchester. After the service you are all invited to join the Ladies of Leesfield for a Harvest Brunch, with bacon or sausage barms or beans on toast, and tea or coffee. There will also be a Home Bake stall and a raffle. Tickets are £5 each and you don’t need to have bought one in advance. 

Audrey and Roy are organising a coach trip to visit Llandudno for the Christmas Markets on Saturday 17th November. All are welcome to come along, and there is a list in the community room for you to add your name. 

The next round of Parish Meetings starts with Standing Committee tomorrow at 7 pm. St Thomas’ DCC is next Monday the 15th, 7 pm at St Thomas’ and St Agnes’ Open Forum is on Wednesday the 17th, 8 pm at St Agnes’. Both the DCC and Open Forum meetings are open to all members of our congregations, so please do come along and join the conversations. 

The Deanery Day “We are all Disciples”, is on Saturday 20th October at St John’s Church, Hey. This promises to be a really interesting and inspirational day, with Bishop Mark as one of the guest speakers, so please do come along. Refreshments will be provided, but you will need to bring a packed lunch. To help the organisers plan the event please put your name on the lists in both churches.

The Leesfield Parish Boundary Walk will start from the car park near the children’s play area at the end of Station Road, Grotton, at 10 am next Saturday 13th October. This is a great day out for all the family, with lots of brilliant views and wildlife to be seen, and picnic stops where you can chat with others from the parish whom you may not have got to know yet. It’s quite a long walk at just under 9 miles over varied terrain and takes over 4 hours, but is split into stages with the easiest sections at the beginning, so you don’t have to do it all. We will be walking whatever the weather, but we may take some shortcuts if it’s really wet. The great news is that the Park Bridge café and visitor centre (with toilets) has recently re-opened. Sponsor forms are available, but by no means essential, and if you’re not able to join the walk please sponsor someone who is. For more information please see Liz or Kingsley. 

Items for the newsletter, website and facebook pages to Liz (lizzy.dent@googlemail.com) whenever you want to send. Lots of lovely pictures please!

Newsletter 30th September

Leesfield Parish – 30^th September 2018

The Parish Harvest Service is at 10 am on Sunday 7th October at St Thomas’ Church. Your harvest gifts this year are going to Impact Community Church, Oldham Street Angels and the Booth Centre, Manchester, so please be as generous as you can. Items needed are tea, coffee, sugar, soft drinks, packets of crisps, biscuits and cakes, tinned goods, pasta, rice and noodles, cook-in sauces and condiments.

After the service you are all invited to join the Ladies of Leesfield for a Harvest Brunch, with bacon or sausage barms or beans on toast, and tea or coffee. There will also be a Home Bake stall and a raffle. Tickets are £5 each and are on sale now, or you can pay on the day.

The Ladies of Leesfield Coffee Morning will be from 10.30 am to 12 noon on Saturday 6th October at 2 Hopkin View, Lees.

Audrey and Roy are organising a coach trip to visit Llandudno for the Christmas Markets on Saturday 17th November. All are welcome to come along, and there is a list in the community room for you to add your name.

The proposed programme for the Deanery Day “We are all Disciples”, on Saturday 20th October at St John’s Church, Hey, is shown below. There will be several breaks and opportunities to chat to people from other churches in between the structured sessions. Refreshments will be provided, but you will need to bring a packed lunch. To make planning the event easier please put your name on the lists in both churches.

10 am	Coffee
10.30 am	Introduction & Worship
11 am	Bishop Mark “Understanding St Luke’s Gospel better”
12 noon	Jamie Mackenzie “Be More Comfortable as Disciples”
12.45 pm	Lunch
1.30 pm	Group and Plenary Sessions
2.45 pm	Closing Worship

The Leesfield Parish Boundary Walk will start from the car park at the end of Station Road, Grotton at 10 am on Saturday 13th October. The whole walk is just under 9 miles over varied terrain and takes over 4 hours, but is split into stages with the easiest sections at the beginning, so people of all ages and walking abilities can join us and leave before the tough parts. Whatever the weather, we will be walking, but the exact route may be varied accordingly. Sponsor forms are available, but by no means essential, as the main aim is to see all of our parish in the company of friends. For more information or to register for the walk please see Liz or Kingsley.

Items for the newsletter, website and facebook pages to Liz (lizzy.dent@googlemail.com) whenever you want to send. Lots of lovely pictures please!