HotPott April 2024

April 2024

Lynn's letter

Dear Friends,

If you enter Pott Shrigley Church any Sunday morning at 8.30am you will find a faithful group of people gathering for a quiet service of Holy Communion following the Book of Common Prayer format. There is a hush in the air as people prepare to pray prayers that have been prayed for centuries. They know that the words they are about to say are weighty and require some concentration and selfreflection.

It would be tempting to think that this service is just for those who have memories of using the Book of Common Prayer from childhood, but that would be a mistake. Just as the attendance at our small service at Pott Shrigley is slowly increasing, this service is enjoying a revival elsewhere. There is a growing desire amongst young and old to become familiar with Thomas Cranmer’s powerful language, language which is essentially

unaltered since 1662.

The Prayer Book Society has been ‘overwhelmed with enquiries and new members’ since the pandemic, and many churches are responding by creating new services, or by ensuring existing services are encouraged to develop. The liturgy can be demanding at first, but it seems that this is not putting off people, young and old, who are looking for some ancient stability to counter the challenges of our ever-changing society.

This increase in interest in a traditional form of prayer begs the question: ‘Why?’

Whilst the language is beautiful, it seems that it is not just the poetic phrasing that is drawing people. The deep theology of the Book of Common Prayer lays bare the reality of our collective sin as a human race whilst at the same time reminding us of God’s great mercy. It is a theology that does not shy away from exposing the problem of sin, with phrases such as ‘we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, … And there is no health in us.’ This gives us permission to be completely honest before God for ourselves and for the world. We are then led to cry out for God to intervene and save us: ‘But you, O Lord, have continued →

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8 Your vote, Your council

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10 A Day in the Life of a Dog

12 A St Patrick’s Day celebration

13 PCC Ponderings

14 Diamonds are forever – just like the Bollington Festival!

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mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent; According to your promises declared to humanity in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ These old words hold together the holiness of Almighty God whilst also reminding us of the great mercy of our loving heavenly Father. They enable us to turn to Him in all circumstances, receive His forgiveness and be sent out to serve Him in a world needing to know He is there for everyone.

If you happen to be an early riser, then the timing of our 8.30am service means that you can begin your Sunday with worship and still go on to do things that are also important such as time with family or recreation.

If you are interested, please do come along and join us. Whether you are familiar with this form of service or whether this is new to you, our new service booklets make it easy to follow along.

Please also remember that we have another, larger, service at 10.45am, where we encourage people of all ages, young and old, to join together in a more contemporary style of worship. This is followed by refreshments and a chance to chat to people after the service.

Why not come and see for yourself? You will find a warm welcome awaiting you, In the love of Christ, Lynn.

Where have all the Post-its gone? (Long time processing..)

Perhaps you are wondering what happened to all those wonderful ideas coming from St Christopher’s awayday in January. It’s already March and it seems to have gone rather quiet …

Sheila Garton

So… here’s what has been happening over the last few weeks and also, what is going to happen over the next couple of months…

First of all, our deanery synod representatives (Pam Cooke, Sally Winstanley and David Garton) joined Rev. Lynn and Simon for a talk by Chester Diocese’s Strategic Programme Director, Jon Pocock, about mission. He shared how local churches in the Macclesfield area could support the diocese’s vision and be

a part of making it a reality. The aim of the vision, Together in Christ, Sharing Hope, is to reach people who have no church connections with the love of Christ. Jon gave lots of helpful and practical advice, encouraging us to reach into gaps by building on our strengths, and to tackle just one new thing at once!

Together in Christ, Sharing Hope

Secondly, all those Post-it notes were read, sorted into themes, posted again onto boards which were put into church to give everyone the opportunity to contribute further thoughts.

Thirdly, Lynn and Simon, together with a couple of volunteers, prayerfully mulled over all the many excellent ideas generated both at the awayday and from the boards in church and came up with a proposal for the PCC to consider. The proposal identified four themes: two BIG themes and two smaller supporting ones, all to be explored further.

Finally, at its meeting on 5th March, the PCC reviewed the proposal and agreed that groups be formed to share ideas and create plans for each theme.

So, what are the themes?

The two BIG themes are areas seen as strengths within the church family today, and involve extending and refreshing what we do internally to reach out into our local community. They are:

• Engage with children, young people, families and school(s).

• Extend pastoral care beyond the church family into the community.

The two smaller, supporting themes are:

• Advertise and communicate our services and events more widely within our community.

• Worship – ensure that all that we do is for God, through God and for His glory So, what next?

Over the next four to six weeks, we need to flesh out what each theme could look like:

• Who are we trying to engage with? What are their needs?

• What opportunities are there? What challenges?

• What ideas do we have? How can we make them work in practice?

• What resources would be required (people, training, equipment, etc.)?

• How can we show the love of God, sustainably, and share our hope in Him?

• What one thing could we do next?

• How is this going to happen?

For each theme, BIG and small, we are looking for people to get together, maybe two or three times during April, May and June, to share ideas and come up with a plan for St Christopher’s for how we can make a difference to, bless, and share the love of God with those outside the church. So we need you! Do you feel energised by one (or more) of the themes? Do you see needs or opportunities locally that resonate with a theme? If you would like to get involved, share ideas or help to develop a plan for action, please get in touch with Rev. Lynn.

Thank you to everyone who came forward with ideas, and a special thanks to Lynn, Simon, Sheila and David who organised all those Post-its, then produced a coherent strategy for us to consider and work with. And pretty rapidly considering the complexity of the task! Editor.

Simon & Hannah sorting Post-its

Georgina Alison Wray, an enigmatic lady

We were sorry to hear that Georgina died in November 2023 after a prolonged period of ill health.

Kath Matheson

Georgina was born on 8th September 1946 in Lancashire but the family came south whilst she was still of school age. They bought a house very close to Georgina’s aunt and cousins, who have fond memories of spending lots of play time with her. Georgina attended Macclesfield High School for Girls, then trained as a nurse in Manchester.

Georgina was passionate about nursing – she was a paediatric nurse at Great Ormond Street and senior sister on the paediatric intensive care unit at the Royal Brompton in Chelsea, a specialist hospital for heart and lung disease. Georgina also spent time as a volunteer nurse in Israel. Unfortunately, a fall whilst at the Royal Brompton caused lasting damage to her back and spelled the end of her nursing career. And her dancing! Apparently, she was a good ballet dancer as a child. Georgina returned to Macclesfield and over the years was involved in much charitable work, especially that relating to the care of people with physical and learning impairment. Georgina herself suffered from many serious, life-changing, health issues and had an excellent understanding about how to tackle officialdom in both the health and social care services! She could be extremely forthright in her opinions and wasn’t too hesitant in expressing them… which was sometimes helpful, sometimes not.

Georgina had a deep Christian faith and attended St Christopher’s from the mid-1990s until her ill health and severe mobility issues prevented it. My first memory of her is being asked to sponsor her to do a skydive to raise money for Lupus UK (systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE] was one of her more major diseases). I’m not sure skydiving was an optimal activity for someone with severe back pain, but Georgina always did kick against the traces. Georgina was secretary to the St Christopher’s Church Guild for many years, organising speakers (or sometimes just thinking she had!) and outings. She was personally kind too, supporting teenagers to raise money for special trips and visiting the elderly. Georgina regularly visited my mother-in-law, and took her out to Chatsworth at Christmas, Arley Hall and many other places.

In her later years, Georgina had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and several operations. She needed help to get out and with many other aspects of her care. Her family supported her as much as she allowed them to but, always a private person, Georgina sometimes struggled to accept help and she became rather reclusive, except for living with Willow, her adored assistance dog.

Kind-hearted, prickly, generous, outspoken… so many more words could be used to charaterise Georgina, but the important descriptor is Christian. Georgina trusted in her Saviour. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

Highways

Pending

Your Vote Your Council

• Repair/replace culvert under Shrigley Road outside Pott Hall.

• Remedial resurfacing of Shrigley Road from Green Close to the aqueduct.

• Modifications to the chevron bend by Shrigley Hall.

• Repair of collapsed wall on Bakestonedale Road. Cllr Boulton has persisted in asking for this to be actioned.

• Damage to the signpost by the church wall still awaits repair.

• Awaiting redesign of the work required on the kerb by the village hall.

Completed

detailed reply. There is much unrest about the closures and several public meetings have taken place to debate CEC plans to suspend business at both Poynton and Bollington tips from 1st April.

Bus Timetables

New bus timetables for the reduced frequency of the 391/2/3 are available online at https://tfgm.com/publictransport/bus/routes/392-stockport. Poynton Parish Council and CEC have agreed to a meeting to discuss these changes. Cllr Lancaster intends to attend the meeting to give residents feedback.

Village spring clean/litter pick

Jo Hadfield

• Brookbank: the stays attached to the electricity pylon at the side of the highway have been tightened. Cllr Lancaster will meet the police to discuss improvements to the bend to reduce the risk of any more accidents.

Pott Shrigley website

Cllr Lancaster and the clerk are continuing to construct the new village website. Residents will be advised in due course how they might contribute to the site but if you wish to view it now, go to pottshrigley-pc.gov.uk.

Lychgate

We await Archdeacon Proudfoot’s approval for repairs to commence.

Tip closures

A joint letter of objection has been raised between Poynton Parish Council and Pott Shrigley Parish Council. Cllr Boulton has contacted the leader of Cheshire East Council (CEC), Sam Corcoran, who sent a

The annual spring clean will happen on Saturday 6th April. Meet at 10am on the cobbles outside Pott Shrigley Church. All volunteers very welcome.

Daffodils

Thank you to residents who planted daffodil bulbs in the verges last autumn. They are flowering now and look lovely.

Planning

Applications - None Pending

23/1419M Nab Works, (MRI Polytech) SK10 5SD

Application (retrospective) for a storage building and an additional area of car parking, including associated engineering works, with a proposed comprehensive landscaping scheme and biodiversity enhancements.

NP/CEC/1223/1523 Nab Cottage, SK10 5RT

Proposal: two storey rear and single storey side extension.

24/0806M Gibhill Cottage, SK10 5SE

Construction of two extensions to existing

dwelling.

Decision

23/3874M Shrigley Hall Hotel, SK10 5SB

Retrospective application for installation of two marquees on the old tennis court

area to be in situ for 12 months. Declined.

Next meeting

The next council meeting will take place at 8pm on Monday 8th April 2024 in the village hall.

Called to be Fools!

April Fool’s Day is the traditional way to begin this month. In medieval times the fool (or jester) was not just there for amusement. He had an influential role in the court, because he could speak the truth in ways others couldn’t. As Christians we are also called to be fools; Paul described himself as a ‘fool for Christ’ (1 Corinthians 4:10). In what ways is this an appropriate description of a Christian? In his letter Paul expands on this theme.

A foolish message:

‘For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.’ (1 Cor 1:18). The heart of the Gospel does not focus on clever ideas, but on the Cross of Jesus Christ. This message of foolishness and weakness is both God’s wisdom and power for our lives.

A foolish community:

‘But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the

strong.’ (1:27). The church in Corinth consisted of slaves, rather than the rich and successful. God calls the weak and vulnerable to follow Him, in order to shame those who think they don’t need God.

A foolish ministry:

‘My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.’ (2:4,5). Paul’s ministry didn’t rest on human wisdom, but on the power of the Holy Spirit. For us, this power is often displayed when we are at our weakest.

‘A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.’ (William Shakespeare).

by Paul Hardingham Parish Pump

A Day in the Life of a Dog

It is hard to pick a particular day, but mostly I wake up and go downstairs at about 4.00am. Then I have to settle down and wait for the more somnolent in the household; strangely, they like to lie in till 6am. Imagine! However, never one to waste a moment, this is when I do most of my thinking.

Meg Booth

Eventually I get one of my humans –Caroline or Steve, I really couldn’t care less which one – out for a walk. At last. We’re usually out for about an hour. It varies where we go, but my least favourite walk is along the canal to Hollin Hall. I am not so keen on walking along in a straight line on the towpath, not easy to avoid all those other dogs either! White Nancy is always a pretty good walk, but it takes such a very long time to arrive at a field to get down to the fun. My absolute favourite place is straight up the Nab, so I have perfected a look of weariness when I realise we are going down Shrigley Road and not straight up the Nab. If I stand my ground long enough, they give in, and we can run straight up the Nab. Hooray! As you can see it takes a lot of concentration controlling my toys. And I don’t believe I am going deaf – I just wish Caroline and Steve wouldn’t whisper instructions nowadays.

I think Fridays are one of my favourite days. After a walk and breakfast, we pop to the shops. I am a great help, particularly in guiding them straight to the butchers. The men behind counter are always very generous with some scraps of cooked meats. Delicious. The bakery over the road is not nearly as interesting so I just have to lie down and wait! Hey ho.

This Friday was different. As we are going on holiday to Northumberland (yippee, all those fabulous long sandy beaches to run on!) my humans didn’t need any meat from the butchers – and with total disregard for my need to get my weekly treat from the nice men behind the butcher’s counter – and to add insult to injury – we had to go to the vets. Help. I really, really, don’t like the vets. I really, really, don’t like the vets. I can’t say that often enough, but Caroline and Steve tell me it’s good for me. Humph. They’d tell me anything; it’s not them on the vet’s table. I have to admit that nowadays I have arthritis in my front paws and need tablets for my heart murmur. (Am I getting old? Surely not.) So, to keep me healthy and racing up the Nab, occasionally (according to the humans but I would call it frequently) we must visit the vet to get a repeat prescription. I really wish we didn’t have to bother. I really,

Meg Booth

really, don’t like the vets. From under the chair where I was hiding, I could see the vets were busy with lots of cats and the tiniest kitten (a welcome distraction), so I really couldn’t see why we had to trouble them. To cap it all the vet decided it would be a good idea to check my blood pressure. It took half an hour to take enough measurements to be happy it was normal. I think Caroline’s blood pressure was higher than mine by the time we were reunited. Now she really, really doesn’t like the vets.

Lunchtime we get to go up the Nab again. Then I can have 40 winks, more thinking.

Sunday afternoons we tend to go for a five or six mile walk to a pub! I have to say we have picked up a few good routes when we have done the Good Friday Walk from Saint Christopher’s.

In the evening – you guessed it! I like to go up the Nab, there is so much fun to be had. My last walk of the day is round the block, which can be interesting as it is often busy with badgers and other dogs out for their last walk. And I like to check that all the cats are safely home, that’s very important. Suppertime and bed, that’s very important too.

I must go now to check they have packed all my toys for my holiday tomorrow, but that is another story.

Beach near Dunstanburgh, Northumberland

MAZE

A St Patrick’s Day celebration at St Christopher’s

No, we weren’t parading in New York, or even drinking pints of Guinness, and definitely not toasting Ireland winning the Six Nations Cup on Sunday 17th March –instead we were celebrating life at St Christopher’s in the guise of our annual parochial church meeting (APCM). Reports on all aspects of church activities had previously been circulated and we were given the opportunity to ask questions about any aspect of church life.

We had some elections too:

Of note is our financial position – although the folks of St Christopher’s are generous in their giving, we are still not covering our year-on-year costs, so our financial reserves are falling.

The APCM is a time to be thankful for the blessings we enjoy as part of a faithful, worshipping community. Our church would not function without willing volunteers, and three in particular were thanked as they leave their posts.

David Gem has been a churchwarden for six years, a period which included the interregnum during which David arranged for ministers, lay readers and others to take all our services – no mean task.

Ian Clarke has been a member of the PCC for about 30 years including, among many other unseen jobs, being church treasurer for 10 years.

Chris Day was also a PCC member, including being secretary, which is a very busy post. David, Ian and Chris were all thanked for their sterling work and contributions.

Jean Ferguson was elected as a churchwarden; Andy Phillips was reelected.

New members of the PCC are Angela Davies and Simon Caudwell.

If you would like to see the papers prepared for the APCM, please contact Duncan Matheson (dmmpott@yahoo. co.uk) or 07854 884 145.

To give financially in support of St Christopher's Pott Shrigley Please scan the barcode below

Thank you!

Andy Phillips

Jean Ferguson

PCC Ponderings

We were pleased to be joined at the March PCC meeting by Rev. Lynn's husband, Simon, who helped to formulate the action plan arising from the church awayday at Savio House in January.

David Garton began by telling us of the timely meeting of the deanery synod which he, Lynn, Simon, Pam Cooke and Sally Winstanley attended in February. (The deanery synod acts as an intermediary between the PCC of each parish in the deanery and the synod of the Chester Diocese as a whole.) The speaker at the synod was Jon Pocock, the diocesan strategic programme director, and we were delighted to learn that the ideas generated at our recent awayday can easily be mapped into the key streams of the diocesan strategy, so we are definitely on the right track! Sheila then explained the themes that had emerged from analysis of our awayday ideas. You can read more about this in Sheila's article, Where have all the Post-its gone on page 4.

'sundry donations' have increased since the introduction of the payment machine in church. The PCC also agreed to small increases in the fees associated with weddings and funerals, as suggested by the standing committee.

Charitable Giving: St Christopher's donates 10% of its income (except trading income) to charity each year. The amount available to give away this year will be £8,100. The eight charities to be supported are:

Barnabas Fund, CPAS, HART, HOPE in NE Cheshire, OpenDoors, SIM, UFM Worldwide and Wycliffe Bible Translators Look out for more information on each of these organisations in the coming months.

Treasurer's Report: Peter Kennedy, our treasurer of more than 12 years, presented the final accounts for the year ending 31st December 2023; these had been prepared and audited ready for the annual church meeting. Peter's key point was that, unfortunately, our annual spending continues to exceed our income: during 2023 we spent £8,820 more than we received. The good news is that

Please

no later than midnight on..... Thursday, 11th April

Rebecca Roth-Biester

Diamonds are forever – just like the Bollington Festival!

This year the Bollington Festival celebrates its 60th anniversary with a Diamond Jubilee Jamboree. A registered charity run entirely by volunteers, the festival has taken place in and around Bollington roughly every four years since the 1960s.

Rebecca Roth-Biester

The festival was the brainchild and vision of the late Dr John Coope, MBE. As the local GP, Dr John realised that many ailments could be remedied by reducing isolation through bringing people together and offering new experiences. His philosophy was that an active community is a healthy one. After dispensing medical advice he would ask his patients: ‘Now, what can you do? Sing, play an instrument, run?’

In view of the difficult economic climate, the Bollington Festival Diamond Jubilee Jamboree will be more modest than usual, running for four days from Friday 24th May to Monday 27th May rather than

being the customary 10 (or more!) day extravaganza. However, with your support, it will be a unique and memorable event promoting community spirit, inclusivity and civic pride. All activities will take place on the Bollington Recreation Ground. The focal point of the celebrations will be a covered stage with dramatic lighting and a superb sound system; this will be surrounded by a beer tent, food stalls, an old-fashioned tea tent and lots of surprises. There will be plenty of glittering activities for all ages during the mornings and afternoons. These daytime events, which will include live music, a dog show, creative activities and dance performances, will all be absolutely free. Highlights of the jamboree will include three ticketed, open-air evening concerts on the covered stage, featuring some of the best-loved festival performers from down the years, including Macclesfield based Northern Soul favourites, the Screaming Beavers!

As part of the celebrations, St Christopher's Church has been invited to take part in

Bollington Festival 2019, Pott Puppets

Bollington Festival 2019, David Swales

an open-air community thanksgiving

church service on Sunday 26th May. Rev. Nancy Goodrich is leading the planning in her capacity as vicar of Bollington. We have also been asked to join forces with other local churches to help run the tea tent, as an act of hospitality to the local community. Please contact Rebecca Roth-Biester (beccacourtney@gmail.com) if you are willing to help out for an hour or two with the tea tent – cakes will also be extremely welcome! You can visit the Bollington Festival website for further details of the jamboree and tickets for the evening concerts: www.bollingtonfestival. org.uk

SUDOKU

Get your tickets now!

The wonderful professional musicians of Epiphany, a Christian music group, are visiting St Christopher’s on Saturday 27th April at 7.30pm. (See page 5, February edition of HotPott for more information.)

Tickets, to include a drink, are on sale at £15.00 from:

Mary Currell: 01625 573735

Sandy Milsom: 01625 573850 or any member of the fundraising team.

Seen in a parish magazine: ‘Next Sunday the choir will give a recital, after which the church will be closed for repairs.’

Lenora, 95-years-old and in excellent health, confided that she was terribly worried: “Every one of my friends has already died and gone on to heaven. I’m afraid they’re all wondering where I went!”

Bollington Festival 2005, Parade

Noah & Jonah at Pott Shrigley Church School

Class 1 have been studying stories from the Bible. We used a technique known as Talk for Writing which helps us to listen, learn and retell stories in our own words. I'm sure you will agree these examples of the retelling of Noah's Ark and Jonah and the Whale are incredible for reception and year 1 children. As their headteacher and RE teacher I am extremely proud.

Mrs Willis

Hugo

Elsa

God had a plan

He told Noah to bild a boot and put to of evee anu (every animal) in it. Then God sent a flud. It rined for forty days. Nooah sent a dove art (out). Nooah sed the worters sed Noah. So God sent a ridboo (rainbow).

Rory

God saw all people on the earth acting badly.

There was one gut (good) man and God trusted him.

God told Noah to build a bot. God conetee (counted) to (two) of animals no (on) it.

Noah sent a dove, Waters is dried up said Noah

God sent a rainow to remind everyone to thee (keep) promise

God tid (told) Jonah to go Nineveeh he sed no ran a way jumpts on a boat God was mad storm he sent a storm Jonah was sleeping the people were scening (screaming) Jonah gets thrown the boat

big fish Jonah sa (said) sre (sorry) to God the fish spat him owt

Jonah praises God he got to the ninireveh.

Emma

God said to Jonah

go to ninva. Jonah tred id (tried) to not to hir (hear) him he ran a a way and jumpt

on a bot he fel asleep. God sent a s sent a stum. The people wear worried and frow Jonah into the sea.

Jonah was sorry Jonah sed sorey to God. The wale spat him owt.

Joanh wemt to NinEWAH and praist God he will lisan (listen) to him.

Sprucing up the churchyard

Not that we have any spruce in the churchyard, but thank you to everyone who pitched up, not necessarily with their pitch forks, to help out at the churchyard spring clean. Brambles yards long and ivy that clings to gravestones as if super glued were all bravely tackled, trees had their annual shave and weeds were pulled up. There was a little time for a coffee and a chat, and even more time to thank God for the beautiful sunny morning and the amazing place we are privileged to call our church home.

And, as ever, thanks to David Garton for directing operations.

St Christopher’s Pastoral Ministry

For pastoral support, a listening ear, a home visit, Holy Communion at home, prayer support or if you have a baptism enquiry please contact the pastoral ministry care team via Anne Murphy.

email: pastoralteam@pottshrigleychurch.org.uk

telephone: 07891 953919

Sending livestock and library books to Africa via a very muddy trip up White Nancy

Saturday 2nd March ‘dawned’ in a shroud of mist and mizzle, but that failed to deter the intrepid bunch who met at the lychgate to stroll, strain or scramble up White Nancy, praying along the way. Clark takes up the story…

Clark Price

We started at church where Rev. Lynn and Simon met us there to do a prayer to set us on our way to White Nancy. It was pouring down and we all got wet.

On our way we passed the vicarage and the walk then started to become uphill. We stopped at 2 gates and Yvonne asked me which way we wanted to go so I chose the muddiest way. We eventually came to Savio House and stopped to pray and from there the walk got real muddy and harder, the adults started to go slower and when we were reaching White Nancy the adults went up a slower way that wasn’t as steep and the kids and daddy went up the vertical way and we won!

When the adults finally reached us at the top, we were already eating our jam sandwiches. After our picnic me and Elsa said a prayer, my prayer was: ‘Dear God, thank you for helping me to raise a lot of money please let this money help a lot of people in Africa. Amen.’

Elsa’s was: ‘Dear God, thank you for helping Clark to raise money for the cows and chickens to send to Africa. Amen.’

Then we started our journey back to the church. I thought the trip back felt harder because I was slipping more in the mud. We found two rivers on the way back and I got to play in them. Elsa got the muddiest, you should have seen her trousers.

When we finally arrived back at the vicarage, we stopped to pray for Rev. Lynn and Simon. Jean and Reg met us there in their car and Elsa got in to have a ride back to the church – I think she was a little cold and tired. When I got back to the car, I was exhausted, but I was happy that I had done it and raised so much money. I raised £852 for the charity Concern Worldwide and I am going to buy:

5 cows

12 chickens

4 goats

2 pigs

1 water pump

2 bikes

5 mosquito nets

2 batches of potatoes (for them to grow)

3 corn �� batches

1 sack garden

3 eco stoves

3 batches of library books

I want to thank everyone who came on my walk and all the people who gave me a load of money.

Well done to Clark for raising so much money for Concern Worldwide, a charity founded in Ireland in 1968. Its work focuses on enabling communities in extreme poverty and disadvantage, particularly in the areas of health and nutrition, education, employment and gender equality; they also respond to emergency situations. In 2022, Concern helped 36 million people living in extreme poverty in 25 countries and responded to 76 emergencies in 23 countries.

Thanks go to all those who supported Clark, particularly his mum and dad. The adult walkers got somewhat damp and muddy themselves, but it was a wonderful walk of fellowship and natural beauty.

P.S. Mummy had 2 loads of washing to do. The End

Coffee Break

ACROSS

8 ‘He poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the — ’ (Isaiah 53:12) (13)

9 ‘When they had sung a hymn, they went — to the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30) (3)

10 Comes between Galatians and Philippians (9)

11 ‘Your heart will — and swell with joy’ (Isaiah 60:5) (5)

13 Muslim holy month (7)

16 Ten ears (anag.) (7)

19 Under (poetic abbrev.) (5)

22 How Abram described himself to God when he complained that his inheritance would pass to a servant (Genesis 15:2) (9)

24 ‘Go to the — , you sluggard’ (Proverbs 6:6) (3)

25 Debar from receiving Communion (13)

DOWN

house’ (Hebrews 3:6) (2,1,3)

12 Long-handled implement used to till the soil (Isaiah 7:25) (3)

1 My — for His Highest (Oswald Chambers’ best-known book) (6)

2 Festival of the resurrection (6)

3 ‘His sons will prepare for war and — a great army’ (Daniel 11:10) (8)

4 ‘Let not the — string his bow’ (Jeremiah 51:3) (6)

5 Name of the River Thames in and around Oxford (4)

6 ‘From then on Judas watched for an opportunity — — him over’ (Matthew 26:16) (2,4)

7 ‘But Christ is faithful — — — over God’s

14 Order to which monks and nuns devote themselves (8)

15 Appropriate (Proverbs 15:23) (3)

16 I, uncle (anag.) (6)

17 ‘They gave him — — of broiled fish’ (Luke 24:42) (1,5)

18 ‘Weren’t there three men that we — — and threw into the fire?’ (Daniel 3:24) (4,2)

20 Mountain where Noah’s ark came to rest (Genesis 8:4) (6)

21 ‘Don’t you know that friendship with the world is — towards God?’ (James 4:4) (6)

23 Prominent architectural feature of large cathedrals such as St Paul’s (4)

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The Suffering Church

As Easter approaches and we contemplate Jesus’ last journey to Jerusalem and the suffering He would endure as He died for us, we should remember that He never promised the Christian life would be easy. Jesus talked about taking up our cross daily as we follow Him, while Paul considered the perils of his ministry as sharing in the suffering of Christ. Believers in the UK generally have an easy life, but in many parts of the world our brothers and sisters in Christ face real suffering. For example, Mozambique has a significant Christian population, 10 of whom were recently killed in a series of attacks on villages in January 2024; houses, a church and other personal property were torched as well. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks under their campaign banner ‘Kill them wherever you find them,’ a verse from the Quran that in its original historical context permits Muslims to defend themselves rather than giving them license to kill innocents of other faiths. Around 1,800 Christians have been murdered in northern Mozambique since October 2017 in sustained anti-Christian violence.

The constitution of Laos gives citizens the right ‘to believe or not to believe in

religions’ but in rural areas Christians are repeatedly harassed. On Sunday 4th February the village leaders and residents of Kaleum Vangke destroyed a private home where Christians were gathered to worship; Bibles and other documents were burned in the attack. Although the right for Christians to conduct services, preach throughout Laos and maintain contacts with believers in other countries is enshrined in Laotian law, this is not well enforced in rural areas: the Kaleum Vangke church was attacked despite being affiliated to the Lao Evangelical Church, the only Christian denomination recognised by the government. Please pray that the law will be upheld throughout Laos so that the destruction of Christian homes and eviction of Christians from villages would cease and Christians would be able to worship in peace.

Turkey has an important place in Christianity: it was the site of many of St Paul’s evangelistic activities, the Nicene Creed was composed there, and it was the centre of the Christian church in Emperor Constantine’s reign. Turkey was founded in 1923 as a secular state but the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has introduced policies which continued →

Flames engulf homes in a village in Mozambique; Barnabas

House church torn down in Kaleum Vangke, Laos; Eurasia Review

promote Islam, such as compulsory lessons in schools. In December 2023 Tuncer Cihan, an Alevi Muslim who had a learning disability, started to attend Catholic mass with his family. On Sunday 28th January two Islamic State extremists entered the church, fired some shots into the air then shot Tuncer dead; they were prevented from killing anyone else as one of the guns jammed. President Erdoğan expressed condolences to the church leaders and strongly condemned the murder; later the same day police arrested two suspects and detained 47 others in a series of raids across the city. Pray for the protection of the Christian community in Turkey, especially converts from Islam. Give thanks for the swift response of the Turkish authorities and pray for wisdom as they seek to defeat terrorism and anti-Christian violence. Pray that Turkey’s small Christian minority will stand strong in the Lord despite the discrimination and harassment they endure. Elsewhere in Istanbul, an ancient church, St Saviour’s, is to reopen as a mosque in May 2024. St Saviour’s was a centre of Christian worship from the fourth century until its conversion into a mosque during the Ottoman era, after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. In 1945 it was repurposed as a museum in Turkey’s secular republic. The conversion

of St Saviour’s follows a presidential decree which saw the famous Hagia Sophia cathedral become a mosque in 2020. Hagia Sophia was built as a church in the sixth century but served as a mosque from 1453 until 1935, when it was also turned into a museum. Please pray that the erosion of Christian heritage and worship caused by converting churches into mosques will be thwarted.

Christians in Plateau State, Nigeria, continue to suffer. On Wednesday 24th January 30 people living in Christian communities were killed by suspected Fulani Islamists; the gunmen defied a 24hour curfew declared by the state governor to enter the villages and shoot people. Pray for those mourning the loss of loved ones and ask for the Lord’s intervention to protect the Christian communities of Nigeria.

Sudan is a place where Christians suffer severe persecution. It also has a history of intermittent civil war dating back to 1955. The latest armed conflict, which started in April 2023, has resulted in thousands of Sudanese being injured or killed, and hundreds of thousands being displaced to neighbouring countries, including Egypt. Faithful Egyptian believers and churches desperately want to help the Sudanese Christian refugees with everything from basic needs continued →

Flowers laid after shooting in catholic church, Istanbul; Daily Sabah

Church known as St Saviours, now the Kariye Mosque, Istanbul; Wikipedia

Sudanese christians worshipping; Barnabas

to providing stability with housing, work, healthcare and education but they are poor themselves. Barnabas has worked with a local partner in Egypt to help 800 Sudanese Christian families and their church leaders. Please pray for sufficient monetary support to continue this work to be forthcoming from donors across the world and consider donating yourself. Barnabas Fund, Catholic News Agency and OpenDoors provided the information for the above article.

Missionary Matters

Two vitally important areas of activity for the church are worship and evangelism. The Bible is concerned throughout with the worship of God, whether it be the prescribed worship of the Old Testament, the more spiritual, Jesus-centred worship of the New Testament, or the vision of worship in heaven as revealed in the book of Revelation. ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.’ (Rev.4:11, AKJV.) Some of the last recorded words of Jesus concern preaching the gospel to all people of the world, His great commission to us. Jesus’ statement: ‘I am the way, and the truth and the life’ (John 14:6 NIV), is followed by: ‘No one comes to the Father except through me.’ Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to God, and this is why over hundreds of years, many thousands of people have, often at great risk to themselves and their families, ventured throughout God’s world to bring hope, through Christ, to those who don’t know Him. We have missionaries to thank for bringing the Gospel of the saving work of Jesus here to Britain 14 centuries ago, and today at St Christopher’s we support,

Slave gang in Zanzibar; Wikipedia continued

with prayer and finance, missionaries in Malawi and Thailand. Readers may have seen a recent article in The Telegraph (6th March 2024) by Anglican columnist, Madeline Grant, that calls into question the Church Commissioners’ decision to endorse an independent report commissioned by them to propose how the Church of England should seek to heal and repair the injustices still being experienced as a result of African chattel enslavement. The Commissioners have accepted that some of their current wealth is derived from investments made in the slave trade and have agreed to fund work to heal and repair the damage still being experienced today. Grant states: ‘the

report … calls for the CofE to apologise for “seeking to destroy diverse African traditional religious belief systems” and replace them with Christianity.’ She goes on to say: ‘Each year, thousands of Nigerian Christians are murdered by groups like Boko Haram for a faith the report apparently believes wasn’t worth spreading.’ The report does contain the phrase ‘seeking to destroy diverse African traditional religious belief systems’, but neither the ensuing paragraph nor the rest of the report, though couched in somewhat (to the editor!) opaque language, suggests that Christianity is not worth sharing, rather it indicates that the way Christianity was previously shared on the African continent was often done in an inappropriate, probably demeaning fashion. The arguments about the wording of this report, and what the authors mean by it, will continue, but just as the last thoughts of Jesus were of mission, of evangelism, of making disciples, we too should pray for those who lead the church,

for those who devote their lives to bringing God’s word to others and for ourselves, that Jesus’ great commission might be carried out effectively.

And so to the missionaries we support. Megumi and Helen Fazakerley in Malawi are considering what direction their mission in Malawi should take now Megumi no longer teaches at the Evangelical Bible College there. Or should they retire soon and take up some form of ministry in the UK? Please pray that they will hear God speak to them about their future direction. Meanwhile, they had a budget shortfall of 14% in 2023, so need more supporters. Can you help?

Johnny and Ann McClean in Thailand are also pondering the future as they will become empty nesters relatively soon. Many questions arise: should they move into a smaller house, though their current home is close to Ann’s work at the International Christian School (ICS) and large enough to accommodate the many guests they have in the course

Helen, Joshua & Megumi Fazakerley on Helen's birthday

of their work? Ann’s salary as a full-time teacher has helped fund the expense of bringing up three children, but they are approaching independence. How long should Ann work at ICS after it is no longer financially necessary? Or should she return to church ministry? Johnny has just been offered the role of associate regional coordinator for Langham Preaching in East Asia, which would involve encouraging and training national leaders in the region. Johnny already helps train preachers in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The new role would involve some travel, using Zoom and hosting meetings in Bangkok, which is a central location for most countries with good transport links and easy visa entry. The job doesn’t start until January 2025, but it would be helpful to reach a decision before the current East Asia coordinator goes on home assignment in a month. Please pray for Johnny and Ann as they seek the Lord's will and guidance in this.

The Christmas outreach from the New City Fellowship (NCF) church continues to produce results, with new faces seen and old friends returning. A lady from

Laos comes with her daughters when she can but only has one Sunday a month off work. It is encouraging that she wants to spend time on her sole day off with the Lord’s people. Please pray for continued fruit from the Christmas outreach, that those who heard the good news of Jesus Christ, received literature or had personal conversations with church members over the Christmas season will be hungry to know more. Pastor Pramote and Johnny recently met with the missionary team from the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), the organisation that planted NCF in 2007. It was agreed that NCF and a church more recently planted by PCA would link to become the Prawet Eldership Team, Prawet being the district where both churches are sited. This is a real blessing and encouragement to Johnny and Pramote as they are now working alongside three others who have a heart for gospel outreach and Christ-centred preaching; it also frees up some time for Johnny to devote to Langham. On Sunday 3rd March a special service celebrated the 17th anniversary of NCF and Pramote’s 10 years of service as pastor. Over recent months the links between ICS and the

17th Anniversary of NCF church

church have strengthened: three more students are interested in completing their community service projects in the Mahatma community and the school gave the church two computers to use in community outreach. Pray for Johnny and Pramote as they coordinate such projects, that serving the community in these practical ways will lead to long-term relationships and gospel opportunities. Johnny will help lead the next Langham preaching seminar in Thailand in late April; please pray that this will be an encouraging and helpful time of studying scripture and discerning how to teach biblical texts faithfully in a Thai context. One of Johnny’s student converts, Padipat, is now deputy speaker of the Thai Parliament and he has invited Johnny to meet the MPs serving the extremely deprived area around NCF so that Johnny can work with them to get government internet installed; absent internet hampers both children learning the computer skills necessary to compete in the workplace and the elderly, as the Thai health service relies heavily on apps to communicate with

patients.

The McClean’s son Joshua has been offered a place at Liverpool Hope University to study music education. Please pray for him as he prepares for a scholarship interview, and thank God that even if he is unsuccessful in this the university has agreed to treat him as a British, rather than international, student, which carries much lower fees.

This article was prepared by John Ryley and the editor. The report mentioned can be found at https://hrjfund.org/wp-content/ uploads/2024/02/6630_Oversight-groupreport_ONLINE_FINAL.pdf

* * *

A friend took her small daughter to church. The vicar’s prayer had gone on for several minutes when suddenly a small voice piped up: “Has he forgotten how to say Amen?”

* * *

Seen in a parish magazine: “We shall be meeting on Wednesday, when the subject will be ‘Heaven – how do we get there?’ Transport by bus is available at 6.45pm opposite the King’s Arms.

* * *

Pott Shrigley Village Hall Bar

2nd Friday of every month, 6.30 'til 10.00pm

12thApril 10thMay

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3rd April: Ferrari

Sports/Drama – Adam Driver & Penelope Cruz

1st May: One Life

War/Drama –Anthony Hopkins & Helena Bonham Carter.

5th June: One Chance

Comedy/Musical – James Corden, Alexandra Roach & Julie Walters.

July/August – Summer Recess

4th September: The Holdovers Comedy/Drama

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Recipe of the Month

Wednesday Fruit Cake

As some of you will know, bellringers sometimes go out for the day, or a few days, to ring at churches they don’t normally ring at, so-called tower grabbing. These tours usually involve stopping for cake and beer, though not usually at the same time. We’ve had two previous tower-grabbing cake recipes in HotPott – this one is from Helen Foster, a ringer from Macclesfield. She is a member of the Welsh Colleges Society of Change Ringers and always makes this cake for their tours. Welsh Colleges run a best-cake competition on their summer tour, and this recipe won it one year. It is officially called Wednesday Fruit Cake, though I’m not sure why!

Helen Foster

Method:

Ingredients:

For the cake:

225g (8oz) plain flour

200g (7oz) butter

200g (7oz) demerara or granulated sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda mixed with a little milk

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon mixed spice

4 eggs

Grated rind of 1 lemon and half an orange (I often add the rind of the whole orange)

75g (3oz) chopped dried apricots

75g (3oz) sultanas

75g (3oz) currants (the dried fruit can be any mixture, I often put cherries in too, or instead of the apricots)

For the syrup:

Juice of one lemon and 2 tablespoons sugar, combine to make the syrup.

Cream butter & sugar, beat in eggs. Mix the dry ingredients and fold in. Then make a well in centre and mix in the bicarb/ milk. It is supposed to be a soft dropping consistency.

Grease & line base and sides of a deep square cake tin (approximately 20cm (8’’) so mixture is about 2.5cm (1inch) or so deep.

Bake at Gas 4/180°C for *30 – 45min until risen, golden brown and skewer comes out cleanly.

Prick cake surface when just cooked and pour syrup over cake and let it cool in the tin.

*I've found the cooking time in the recipe quite inadequate for this, even for a threequarters quantity version. I just cook it at 180 degrees until it's cooked! If it looks like it's getting too brown and it's still wriggling in the middle, I put some greaseproof over it and cook it for longer.

Cuts into 16 slices approximately.

7th April.

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion Morning Worship

14th.

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion Holy Communion

21st.

Services

Acts 4:32-35

John 20:19-31

Acts 3:12-19

Luke 24:36b-38

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion All Age Worship TBC

28th.

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion Morning Worship**

5th May.

8.30am 10.45am Holy Communion Holy Communion‡

Acts 8: 26-40 John 15:1-8

Isaiah 40:1-11 Mark 1:1-8

Lynn Caudwell

Lynne Bowden

Lynne Bowden

Jenny Eades

Lynn Caudwell

• All services underlined in blue will be streamed live on our Facebook Page & YouTube channel.

• A recording of each live-streamed service will be available from the services page of the church website: ‡ Junior Church * Youth Church (at 6pm) ** Youth Church (at 10.45am)

Readers Prayers Sidesmen at 8.30 Sidesmen at 10.45 Coffee

7th Apr Jean Ferguson & Tom Murphy

Anne Murphy Clare Chasty Mike & Sue Akerman

Yvonne & Annie

14th Paul Bowden & Mike Akerman Audrey Bomford Liz Arrowsmith & Nigel Heathcote Jean & Reg Ferguson Malyan family

21st Tom Murphy & Henry Fraser Sandy Milsom Mathesons

Simon & Lydia Potts

Frances & Meg

28th Rebecca Roth-Biester & Audrey Meecham David Garton Clare Chasty Tony & Rachel Witkowski David & Joy

5th May Anne Murphy & Jean Ferguson Sally Winstanley

Liz Arrowsmith, Nigel Heathcote & Anne Palace

Jean & Reg Ferguson

Lydia & Simon

Church Cleaning Rota

5th Apr Caroline & Jean

12th Reg & Jean

19th Mike & Sue

26th Ivan & Mary

3rd David & Joy

Website:

PCC Members:

Duncan Matheson, Sally Winstanley, Peter Kennedy, Jean Ferguson, Andy Phillips, Pam Cooke, Mary Currell, Mike Akerman, Ang Davies, Simon Caudwell Rebecca Roth-Biester, Sheila Garton, David Garton, David Gem, Annie Palace, Kath Matheson, Reg Ferguson, Anne Muprhy.

This directory was updated on 24th November 2024.Please give corrections and additions to magazine@pottshrigleychurch.org.uk