1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

Christmas Fair 2014
Saturday 29th November
10.00am - 2.00pm
10.00am
Bacon Butties
12.00noon Lunch
12.30pm
St Thomas’ School Choir
& Father Christmas
Dear Friends,
I’ve just been watching our
soldiers
coming
home
from
Afghanistan. After thirteen years it’s
about time. However in the faces of
those young men and women there
was a hint of sadness at leaving a
situation which is by no means stable
or sustainable. Of course that’s the
problem with war. When it ends it
takes generations for past aggression
to be forgiven and old hurts
reconciled.
That
is
why
Remembrance
Sunday
is
so
important. Yes, it is especially about
the First World War this year but it’s
also about all the other wars since
then and the ones that are still
waging.
An important part of the
Remembrance Sunday Service is
making our confession and hearing
God’s Absolution: not that our
forebears were any worse than us but
because “All have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God.” At the end
of our service we will commit
ourselves to strive for peace, to seek
to heal the wounds of war and to
work for a more just world. By
admitting our mistakes, but at the
same time striving with all our might
to make a better world, we obey
Jesus’ command to love God and love
our neighbour.
As you wear you red poppy this
year let us humbly offer our lives to
God and ask Him to use us to change
the world for the better.
Yours as always,
Michael
We need donations: chocolates, bottles, new items, good toys & games, books,
DVDs, home-made cakes.
We need volunteers:
to set-up on Friday, 28th, morning & evening.
to run stalls.
to ask employers to match fund a stall.
Come and support our School & Churches.
NB Non-uniform day on Friday 28th. Bring goods to school.
“The Church is people” - it’s not a building or an organisation - it’s a family
committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus. Like all families we need money
to exist and flourish. On Sunday 16th November we will be having our
Stewardship & Thanksgiving Sunday where we will be asking you, the family of
the Church, to review your giving, pray about it and respond generously.
“God loves a cheerful giver” - so  join our Thanksgiving Project and give regularly through weekly envelopes
or through your bank.
 sign a Gift Aid form so that we can get the tax back from your giving, eg for
each £1.00 you give we can receive 25p if you are a tax payer and have signed a
Gift Aid form.
 increase your giving. This year (separate from all the building projects) we
will need an extra 5% to keep the show on the road.
If you would like to join our Giving Scheme please contact John Hankey, our
Giving secretary,  267134 or e-mail johnhankey2003@yahoo.co.uk. Regular
worshippers will receive a letter in the next few weeks asking them to return their
revised giving for the New Year on 16th November.
Remembrance Sunday
9th November
11.00am Two minutes silence at the
War Memorial followed by a service
at St Thomas’
Remembrance Day
11th November
11.00am Two minutes silence at the
War Memorial and in St Thomas’.
www.stsmm.com
Start collecting all the goodies for
your shoe boxes as soon as possible.
Follow the advice of the Samaritan’s
Purse leaflet. Please try to get your
shoe box to Church by 16th
November. Also do not forget to put
in a £3.00 donation cheque to help get
the shoe box to its destination.
twitter@parish_stsmm
Heavenly Father, we remember with deep gratitude all who have, in the past years, sacrificed their lives for
our peace. Today we place into your power all areas of this world where there remains war, conflict, unrest,
violence, evidence of man’s inhumanity. We ask that You will be present there, that Your power will
overcome, that Your peace will reign and Your love conquer. Amen
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Hawthorne Gr
Hawthorne Rd
Hayes Lane
Heath Street
Henley Close
Hinton Cres
Hollow Drive
Kimberly Drive
Kings Mews
Kingsley Drive
Leonard St
Lilac Grove
Lime Tree Ave
London Rd S H
London Rd App
Longwood Rd
Lumb Brook Rd
Lynwood Ave
Lyons Lane
Melrose Ave
Mertoun Rd
Mill Lane
Millhouse Ln
Mitchell St
Montclare Cres
Moss Close
Mulberry Court
Norcott Ave
Orchard St
Parkgate Rd
All Saints Day – Give thanks for the lives, and sacrifice, of all the Saints
For all attending the commemoration service as they remember loved ones
Remember our school as they return after half term, staff and pupils
Pray for our friends, for those we love, and those we find it hard to love
Pray for visitors to our Church, those who seek comfort, may we serve them
The Order of St Luke and healing, in body mind and spirit of those in need
Pray for the continued success of the Foodbank - all who are in need are fed
For all who work with children in our Church, as they teach them about Jesus
Remembrance Sunday – for those who made the ultimate sacrifice, so we can live in peace
Pray for adults and children preparing for Confirmation
Armistice Day – that war may cease and we live in peace
For all victims of war, those disabled, mentally or physically scarred, bereaved
Give thanks for the ministry team Michael, Lore & Monica & their ministry
Remember the Church Family & how we best serve the wider community
Ask God’s guidance in what we do to further His work
For our action groups, that they come to make the right decisions
Pray for children who lose their childhood through war, are used, exploited
Give thanks for your faith, that we are able to worship freely in peace
Pray that God will give us the strength and words to spread His word
Remember the housebound may we care for them especially during the Winter
Take time to sit in silence and listen to God
For all on the prayer Pyramid, they may find comfort in Jesus love
For those to be confirmed today, may they know God’s presence and love
Place into God’s love all who suffer from drug/alcohol abuse-may they find healing
For the beauty of our world, take care of the environment
Give thanks for the Bible and that we can read it freely
Ask God to still the hand of those who seek to harm or exploit
For all who care for the sick, doctors, nurses, healthcare workers,
Christmas Fair – Church and school working together in fellowship
Feast of St Andrew- thank God for his teaching & mission spreading the good news of Jesus
Story Church
Following the successful launch of
Story Church the next one will be in
St Thomas’ on Sunday 16th
November starting at 10.00am for
half an hour.
Friendship Group
Tuesday 18th November
2.00pm
St Thomas’ Church
“Joy Bells”
Maureen Sudlow & Players
Christmas Concert at St Thomas’ Church
Golborne Brass Band
Sunday, 14th December at 3pm
Tickets £5.00 from Maud Ellis  267251 or Open Church daily 10am - 12noon
Monday 10th November 7.30pm
Snowflake Brooch
Monday 17th November 7.30pm
Crochet Night
12 Melton Avenue Stockton Heath
For more details contact
Joanne Ridley  261396
The Church Book Club meets on the
second Tuesday of each month. The
books we read and then chat about
cover a wide range of genres from
thrillers to sci-fi. The next meeting
will be on Tuesday 11th November
starting at 1.00pm. We meet at Jenny
Wren’s Coffee Shop on West
Avenue.
The Christmas Experience will be
held on Tuesday 2nd December and
Tuesday 9th December.
We will need adults to welcome
children from St Thomas’ School to
church, provide refreshments and be
the shepherds (and other Christmassy
things). If you are willing to help for
a morning or afternoon please let
Revd Lore know.
On Saturday 6th December we will
be holding a Santa Dash. Dress up
as Santa and run, jog or walk one
mile around the Mill Lane Jubilee
Field. Entry is £3.00 per adult and
£1.00 per child so why not make it a
family occasion. Entry forms are
available from St Thomas’ School
and Church and St Mary Magdalene’s
Church. Refreshments will also be
available in the Scout Hut.
See Twitter@parish_stsmm or on
our web-site for more details.
Wednesdays at 7.30pm
at St Mary Magdalene’s.
Advent marks the beginning of the
Church’s year. It is a time of
preparation and penitence. We will
turn from green to purple and we will
be lighting a candle a week on our
Advent Ring. Our preparations will
include a weekly mid-week quiet
time where we will look at different
aspects of Advent - looking towards
the gift of Jesus at Christmas.
Wednesday 26th November
Watching & Waiting
Wednesday 3rd December
Light & Darkness
Wednesday 10th December
Journeying through Advent
Wednesday 17th December
The Last Things
Each service will be about half an
hour long and will give us all spiritual
food as we journey through Advent.
Christine Chapman is writing a set
of meditations for Advent which will
be available very soon. They are
entitled ‘Daily Bible Readings and
Prayers for Advent’.
A small contemplative prayer
group has been set up in our
church and any who feel drawn to
this kind of prayer are warmly invited
to join. We follow the method of the
Fellowship of Contemplative Prayer
which encourages the practice of
silent prayer, listening to the word of
God and letting it work within us and
through us in prayer for others.
A typical meeting includes three
periods of silence of about 7-8
minutes each in which the leader
introduces a biblical sentence, for
example, ‘I am the vine, you are the
branches’ (John15.5) In the first
silence we repeat the words silently
over to ourselves letting our minds
dwell on their meaning when they
were first spoken; in the second
silence we may continue to repeat
them letting our hearts take in what
the words could mean to us,
personally, now; in the third silence
we let ourselves become channels of
intercession, saying the words for
others.
The leader ends the silence with a
prayer of thanksgiving.
Repeating the words focuses our
minds from wandering, and there is
usually a short relaxation exercise to
help us become still. We are next
meeting on Thursday 15th November
at St Mary Magdalene’s from 8.30pm
until 9.15pm.
Our confirmation service will be at
10.45am on 23rd November at
St Thomas’. Please come and support
the candidates.
Children
preparing
for
confirmation will be coming into
Church on 13th November from
3.45pm - 4.45pm. Please let Revd
Lore know if you would like to be
there to welcome them and talk to
them about being a Church member.
We are planning a pilgrimage to
Walsingham in May 2015. We plan
to travel down on Monday 11th May
and return on Friday 15th May.
Let me know if you are interested
in coming. Revd Lore 07595294146
Baptism is the first step in our
journey with Jesus. Children are
baptised on the understanding that
their parents have faith and that they
will bring them up to follow Jesus
and in time make their own
confession of faith at Confirmation.
All parents seeking baptism for their
child are invited to a preparation
evening. The next one is on
Monday 24th November
at 8.00pm at St Thomas’ Church.
Ring Vicar Michael  261396 for
details.
Christine Chapman
The next Coffee Morning & Draw
is at
St Mary Magdalene’s
Saturday 15th November
10.00am - 11.00am
NB Christmas 100 Club will be at
St Thomas’ on Saturday 20th
December at 10.00am
To join contact Ann Jackson 
262005 or Julie Bennion  263455
St Mary Magdalene’s Church
Clean-Up Day
(Early Spring Clean)
Saturday 22nd November
10.00am - 2.00pm
Volunteers needed.
A lunch will be provided.
David Mowatt MP has donated 2
tickets for a tour of the Houses of
Parliament which includes a trip to
the top of the Elizabeth Tower to take
in the sights of London and the
workings of Big Ben.
We are holding a silent auction
with the winner to be announced at
the Christmas Fair on 29th
November. The time and date of the
tour will be arranged between the
winner and David Mowatt. The
winner will have to make their own
way to London.
Entry forms are available at St
Thomas’ School & Church, at St
Mary Magdalene’s Church and Pets
Pantry. Terms and conditions can be
found on Twitter@parish_stsmm or
on our web-site www.stsmm.com.
Baptised at St Thomas’
on 28th September 2014
James Vincent Emery
born on 18th April 2014
to Katharine Jane & Richard James
James Philip Freeman
born on 11th January 2014
to Katherine Jayne & Jonathan
Baptised at St Mary Magdalene’s
on 12th October 2014
Alfie James Richardson
born on 5th March 2014
to Lucy Jayne & Daniel Mark
Baptised at St Thomas’
on 12th October 2014
Phoebe Grace Harding
born on 15th April 2014
to Paula Michelle
& Marcus Edwin Stephen
Robyn Emma Stone
born on 18th March 2014
to Laura & Gary
Baptised at St Thomas’
on 26th October 2014
Thomas Elliot Murcott
born on 24th September 2013
to Kate Elizabeth & Andrew James
Bobby Leo Welsh
born on 20th February 2014
to Jill & John
Our next Parochial Church
Council meeting will be on Tuesday
25th November at St Thomas’
Church.
NB PCC members and Trustees
should send their financial risk
assessments to our auditor, Mike
Brewer, a.s.a.p.
Have you been to a Sunday evening
service
recently?
From 16th
November the service will be held at
St Mary Magdalene’s at the new time
of 5.00pm. Each week we are going
to have a different theme.
16th November The theme of peace
23rd November Confirmation
30th November Advent
7th December Café Church
More details of each service will
be given during morning services and
through posters in each church. So
please come and join us as we
explore a different format.
NB 9th November, 6.30pm, United
Service at Stockton Heath Methodist
Church, Michael Ridley to preach.
Normal services at St Mary’s
Sunday
9.30am Family Communion
with Sunday School
(1st Sunday: Worship
Together Communion)
Tuesday
9.00am Morning Prayers
Wednesday
12 noon Holy Communion
Sunday
5.00pm Evening Service
Normal services at St Thomas’
Sunday
8.00am Holy Communion
10.45am Family Communion
with Sunday School
(1st Sunday: Worship
Together Communion)
Monday
9.30am Morning Prayers
Thursday
9.00am Morning Prayers
10.00am Holy Communion
Friday
9.30am Morning Prayers
The Prayer Pyramid says prayers
for those in some form of crisis.
Christine Chapman  269511
Child Line is a telephone help
line for children and young
people.
Call free on  0800 1111
30th September  Pauline Fawsett
14th October  Frank Maycock
23rd October  Robert Vince
23rd October  Paul Wallace Cook
May the faithful departed
rest in peace
Vicar
Revd Michael Ridley  261396
Associate Minister
Revd Monica Thomson  604235
Curate
Revd Lore Chumbley 07595
294146
Churchwardens
Lynda Heesom
Peter Banyard
 638636
 263005
Pastoral Care Team
Revd Monica Thomson  604235
Lay Readers
Christine Chapman
Joanna Murray
Karen Brady
 269511
 266311
 600874
St Thomas’ Organist
Ian Banks
 213949
St Mary Magdalene’s Organist
Nigel Kirk
 650183
St Mary Magdalene’s Church
Bookings
Emma Dean
 264904
St Thomas’ Church Hall Bookings
Maud Ellis
 267251
Parish Matters editor
Dennis Rogers
 265603
Parish Treasurer
Peter Chapman
 269511
A big “Thank you” to Suanne
Miller for all her wonderful work
in leading Groovy Tuesdays over
the last two years. Sadly, due to
work commitments, Suanne has had
to finish being our leader. However,
we now have a new leader in John
Corcoran, a well known musical
director, who has kindly taken up the
baton. Unfortunately he cannot do
Tuesdays so from now on we will
meet on Mondays, 7.30pm tea for
8.00pm start, at St Thomas’ Church
New members are always
welcome.
Contact
John
on
samatjo@ntlworld.com
NB There will be an informal
Christmas concert on Monday 15th
December for Family & Friends. All
welcome.
Any thoughts for a new name now
that we are meeting on Mondays??
Devised and produced on behalf of the PCC of the parish of Stockton Heath which is a registered charity No 1131459