14th June 2020

How are you doing? This is a very difficult and stressful time for

everybody, in a huge variety of ways. There is

so much uncertainty about the ‘next steps’ and

what happens next. Please don’t struggle alone, don’t hesitate to ask

for help. We organised the clusters to enable our congregation to help

each other, and whilst they have been hugely beneficial to most they

haven’t been successful for everybody. Please contact the office if you

would like to speak someone and we will arrange that for you. Either

ring the office on 0161 428 8050 or email us

churchoffice@cheadle.org—we’re here to help in whatever way we can.

First Sunday

after Trinity

Our Children and Youth Teams need you This period of lockdown has been a time when many things have been on hold and many things have changed. One of the big changes in St Mary’s is the area of Children and Youth, Some of our leaders after many years of faithfully

serving and teaching our children and youth have decided its time to step down. (Massive thank you for all they have done!) This has meant we will have an exciting period of change when we come out of Lockdown and we’ll need your help, support and prayers. The following groups need leaders and/or helpers :

Mustard Seed (toddler group)- overall leader

Adventurers (school years 3&4) - female helpers

Discoverers (school years 5&6) - overall leader & helpers

Forge (high school years) - overall leader

Rooted (school years 7-9) - overall leader, plus multiple helpers

Focus (school years 10-13) - multiple helpers Please prayerfully consider whether you can get involved and support this vital ministry as without leaders we can not run. This work is Incredibly rewarding and you will be part of great teams. Do please speak to either the Church office or us directly (our details are on ChurchSuite)

Yours in Christ, Rob and Mel Navesey

Church open for private prayer From Monday 15th June the Government are allowing churches to open for individual prayer. We want to work out how we can do this at St Mary’s as there are several things we need to consider. The foremost is that many of our faithful volunteers who staff the Open Church rota in normal times fall into the most at risk category with respect to CV-19 Apart from that we need to consider;

Whether we can open at all in the short term

What number of people coming into church we can cope with at one time

The routes they use in and out and which part of the space they use.

Having someone responsible for overseeing the

building while it’s open

Having someone willing to do the necessary

cleaning while it’s open

Whether we make the toilets available or not

All these will depend on us having enough volunteers.

If you feel able to support this ministry please do one of the following;

Sign up on ChurchSuite via the ‘Open Church during CV-19’ event page or follow the link on the website

Follow this link if you are not on ChurchSuite; https://stmaryscheadle.churchsuite.co.uk/events/ybijz1ed

Call the office 0161 428 8050 and speak to Jon or Liz

We will provide all the necessary equipment, guidance and policies to allow us to operate this safely. If you have any questions or would like to chat about this please contact Jon on 0161 428 8050 jon.drayton@cheadle.org.uk

Please pray that we find the best way of providing this facility for our community

Page 2

PARISH OFFICE HOURS Please note that the

Parish office is still

operational but

‘virtually’ in staff homes. We will try to

have telephones answered and emails

replied between 9am—3pm. Messages

and emails outside office hours will be

answered the next working day. If your

message is urgent please follow the

instructions on the answerphone.

Dial in to services To listen to the service live on a Sunday

morning at 10.30, please phone one of the fol-

lowing numbers; 0203 481 5240 or 0131

460 1196 or 0203 051 2874 or 0203 481

5237 You will then be asked to enter the

Meeting ID number which is: 962 1869 3957

The call will be charged at your normal rate for a national call. If people are able to set up access from a mobile phone the following numbers, once programmed in will automatically connect you to the stream; +442034815240,,96218693957#

Or +441314601196,,96218693957#

RECORDED— To listen to a recording of the

latest Sunday morning and Wednesday

midweek services from a phone line. Please

dial 01615094143. Please then select 1 for the

latest Wednesday midweek service from St

Cuthbert’s or 2 for the Sunday service from St

Mary’s. This is a local rate (Manchester)

number. If want further information or need

any help setting this up, please call Jon

Drayton on the office number 0161 428 8050 or

his mobile 07973 134815

Moving On... After four years working for Cheadle St Mary's, first as the Youth Worker and for the last two years in the more senior role of Youth Pastor, Emma and I have felt God calling us on to something new.

This hasn't been a quick process and we have been praying specifically for the Lord to reveal where He wants us to be for over a year now. That this has happened in communication with our current Church leaders has been a blessing, for as sure as we are that it is our time to move on, leaving behind a good Church, a caring family and some truly remarkable young people is not easy to contemplate.

As of today, we can confirm that I have accepted the exciting new role of Youth Pastor and School Chaplain at St. Andrew's Church and Balshaw's Church of England High School in Leyland (six miles south of Preston), starting early September. I’ll be working underneath Rev. David Whitehouse, who many of us in Cheadle remember fondly from his time serving as our Youth Minister a decade ago.

I am officially finishing as Youth Pastor in Cheadle on July 31st, and Emma and I will be moving to Leyland sometime in August (all being well).

We thank you for your prayers, particularly over the last few months as we have been listening for the Lord to reveal our next steps. Please continue to join us in prayer for the move, the changes and our new ministry. We truly, truly hope we manage to say goodbye to as many of you Cheadle folk as possible before we go, but we understand that lockdown might prevent that.

We would love you to let us know when you may be free for a drink in our garden - or maybe even a cheeky BBQ if the weather allows!

Thanks, Luke & Emma Blakeley

80th Birthday congratulations David Wroe will be

celebrating his 80th

Birthday on 15th

June, many happy

returns David on

behalf of our church

family.

Bible Journaling Workshop This great workshop

is going to be run over

Zoom on 20th June.

Join Deborah Gregg

and Emma Beaney as

they show you how to

begin your Bible Art

journaling journey.

We'll go through some techniques,

including watercolour, and give time for

you to have a go at creating something.

(The main workshop will be using a

journaling sketch book). However, we will

also cover how to begin in a Journaling

Bible. So this is a versatile workshop to

move you forwards with confidence.

Click here to sign up and get more

information.

Enjoy! If you go on the course we’d love to

see some of your work and hear all about

it—email churchoffice@cheadle.org.uk.

Where is God in a Coronavirus World? We still have plenty of these

books if you would like to buy

them, just fill in the form on

ChurchSuite or call or email

the office.

Prayer please

Please keep in your prayers the situation regarding our employing a full time youth worker.

Currently we only have sufficient income to finance a part time role, and this is likely to be aggravated by the effects of the CV-19 crisis.

The leadership believe we need to continue to build on the excellent work Luke and Bekah have done and want to be able to employ someone on a full time basis.

There are many benefits to having a member of the team who is able to meet with others at times that a volunteer would not be able to.

Please consider if you are able to increase your financial support of the work here in Cheadle

Page 3 PRAYER

For The Bereaved Please pray for everyone who is mourning the loss of a loved one especially at this difficult time of isolation.

Also for your prayers ... Rose Betts

Sean Clegg

Nick Drayton—please give thanks for completion of treatment

Liz Dyer

Peter Fraser – ongoing treatment

Tom Harper

Norman Jones

Danielle King

Aileen & Tom Latham - ongoing health issues

Sean McCausland - ongoing care

Alma Mealand—ongoing care

Peggy Mountford - ongoing care

Mary Robertson

Andrew Smith - ongoing care

Sylvia Tomlinson—ongoing health issues

PERSECUTED CHURCH: Iraq WORLD WATCH RANKING 15 There are 202,000 Christians in a population of over 40 million – just under half a per cent of the population. Islamic extremism is still a problem in Iraq. Although the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) have lost territory in Iraq, their ideology remains. Many of the militants have simply blended back into the general population, and the Shia militias who helped drive out IS also persecute Christian believers. With your prayers and support, many Christians have been able to return to their communities after fleeing to avoid IS and other Islamic militants. People like Bashar, who had to leave behind his successful factory in Mosul when IS came. He and his family were threatened, and some relatives were even kidnapped and killed. “The situation was too difficult, especially for our wives and daughters,” remembers Bashar. “We left our houses, factories and everything. All we could take were our clothes.” God kept Bashar and his family strong. “I teach my children that we must trust God in everything,” he says. “I can trust God in all times, whether good or bad.” Now, thanks to your gifts and prayers, Bashar has been able to open and expand a shop with a microloan provided by Open Doors partners. But violence against Christians is far from over. Attacks, abductions and murders are still happening, and Christians from Muslim backgrounds are particularly vulnerable. They often have to keep their faith a secret, for fear of reprisals from their families and communities. Please keep praying for your brothers and sisters in Iraq. Your gifts and prayers make an enormous difference to those following Jesus no matter the cost.

Chelwood Foodbank Sainsburys on the High Street in Cheadle

are accepting donations, as are Chelwood

themselves

Taking food to the Foodbank is

considered an essential journey.

The times the foodbank is open Tues &

Weds 10-12noon and Thursday 12noon—

2pm.

They are currently running low on

cleaning items—cloths, bleach, washing

powder etc. If you have any of these

items that need collecting to donate

please let us know. contact the office by

phone 0161 428 8050 or email—

churchoffice@cheadle.org.uk and we will

arrange to collect it from you

They say Thank you for your support, they

really appreciate it and they couldn’t do

what they are doing without you.

If your personal financial circumstances

have not yet been affected by CV-19, is

this something you could support? You

can make a financial donation here—

http://

www.chelwoodfoodbankplus.org/

donate/

It’s actually a virtual coffee morning!

We meet every Friday on Zoom

11:00 to 12:30

To Join the Zoom Meeting online

https://us02web.zoom.us/

j/94431014151

Meeting ID: 944 3101 4151

Or dial in by phone with one of these

numbers: 0203 051 2874

0203 481 5237

0203 481 5240

0131 460 1196

Then enter the meeting ID: 944 3101

4151

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Susannah, Café Manager

Prayer for the Day

The Diocese of Chester issue a ‘Prayer for

the Day’ and you can get these sent to you

automatically, just follow this link—https://

www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and

-worship/join-us-service-daily-prayer/

todays-prayer

Weekly Prayer

Meeting Why not join us for prayer at

the St Mary’s weekly prayer

meeting, 8.00pm every

Wednesday evening via Zoom.

If you don’t have internet access, you can

call in from a mobile phone or landline.

To join the Zoom prayer meeting;

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7860701560

Meeting ID: 786 070 1560

One tap mobile

+441314601196,,7860701560#

+442030512874,,7860701560#

Dial from mobile phone or landline

+44 131 460 1196 +44 203 051 2874

+44 203 481 5237 +44 203 481 5240

Meeting ID: 786 070 1560

The Collect The First Sunday after Trinity

O God, the strength of all those who put their trust in you, mercifully accept our prayers and, because through the weak-ness of our mortal nature we can do no good thing without you, grant us the help of your grace, that in the keeping of your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A bit extra this

Page 4

In November 2019, Cheadle was identified as a community that was able to apply for a significant regeneration fund, to support its local economy and infrastructure – the “Town’s Fund”. Since then a Town’s Fund Board was set up, chaired by the CEO of the Alexandra hospital, to work together with SMBC and other local stakeholders to put together an application for up to £25 million. I am on that board as the Chair of the Cheadle Village Partnership, whose role is to support and enable

local consultation on the bid.

The Board has identified that proposing a new local railway station, linking Cheadle directly to Stockport, Altrincham and Chester, and eventually with a Tram train possibility to Manchester airport, would be the most fruitful for our local community.

However starting next week, an independent consultation of the Cheadle community is beginning. Over 1000 local homes will received prepaid surveys to return, a website will enable any interested community members to express a view including all of us from Church, and surveys of local businesses, and even some ‘street survey posts’ where local shops will distribute and collect surveys – all are proposed to launch next week.

There may be other things about Cheadle community that you can raise by taking part, not just a station – but strong local support is a massive help for our bid. Next week, we’ll have the links to join in – but watch out for its launch, and join in the survey if you can. Feel free to contact me if you need any more details.

Thanks, Rob Munro

Do you want a new railway station in Cheadle?

This is an old photo of Cheadle LNW Train Station—there used to be two stations in Cheadle.

Early 1900’s tram trundling through Cheadle (Corner of

Milton Crescent)

For those caught up in tragedy and disaster O Lord our God, source of all goodness and love, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies look with compassion upon all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

In troubled times God of love, turn our hearts to your ways; and give us peace. Amen.

For justice Living God, deliver us from a world without justice and a future without mercy; in your mercy, establish justice, and in your justice, remember the mercy revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For international unrest Almighty Father, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of all: govern the hearts and minds of those in authority, and bring the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin, to be subject to his just and gentle rule; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

At a time of despair Restless with grief and fear, the abandoned turn to you: in every hour of trial, good Lord, deliver us, O God most holy, God most strong, whose wisdom is the cross of Christ. Amen.

For peace and safety amid unrest O God, who would fold both heaven and earth in a single peace: let the design of thy great love lighten upon the waste of our wraths and sorrows: and give peace to thy Church, peace among nations, peace in our dwellings, and peace in our hearts: through thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayers from the Church of England A prayer for God's guidance Almighty Lord and everlasting God, we ask you to direct, sanctify and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of your laws and the works of your commandments; that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

For dealing with a difficult situation Sovereign God, the defence of those who trust in you and the strength of those who suffer: look with mercy on our affliction and deliver us through our mighty Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

For those who are lonely O God, our sovereign and our shepherd, who brought again your Son Jesus Christ from the valley of death, comfort us with your protecting presence and your angels of goodness and love, that we also may come home and dwell with him in your house for ever. Amen. Abide with us, Lord, for it is evening, and day is drawing to a close. Abide with us and with your whole Church, in the evening of the day, in the evening of life, in the evening of the world; abide with us and with all your faithful ones, O Lord, in time and in eternity. Amen.

For justice Living God, deliver us from a world without justice and a future without mercy; in your mercy, establish justice, and in your justice, remember the mercy revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For those who are lonely O God, our sovereign and our shepherd, who brought again your Son Jesus Christ from the valley of death, comfort us with your protecting presence and your angels of goodness and love, that we also may come home and dwell with him in your house for ever. Amen. Abide with us, Lord, for it is evening, and day is drawing to a close. Abide with us and with your whole Church, in the evening of the day, in the evening of life, in the evening of the world; abide with us and with all your faithful ones, O Lord, in time and in eternity. Amen

Even more extra

Page 6

WOMEN’S MINISTRY I have just read what I wrote last week which was before we had our barbecue. We are such good upstanding citizens that we sat in the garden wrapped in blankets with hot water bottles! We are hoping that we will not have to do the same on Saturday when we go to visit Charlotte and family in Cumbria. It will be the first time any of us have been further from home than maybe 5 miles for almost 3 months, so it is a bit scary. Funnily enough, they were the last people we visited as well!

(Photo of Matt & Alice braving the Wells’ BBQ!)

So how are you getting on with face masks which will be compulsory on public transport from 15th June – and possibly in other places as well before long. I have a fabric mask which I bought at the weekend and discovered they are hot to wear and I my glasses steamed up until I got it adjusted properly. I have now downloaded some instructions on how to make fabric masks – but what will I make them from? I have some old pillow cases which may well be the answer. What about you? What will you make your masks from? I am about to predict that the next scarce resource will be elastic.

Instructions below for having a go yourself.!

Recipe Corner This week’s recipe is one of our family’s favourites. It is taken from

a book of recipes which was produced as a fund raising item for St

John’s Lindow. This book features recipes from women in the

church, including my sister-in-law Paula Wells and her mum, Muriel

Webb. This recipe is not actually one of theirs, but it is good

Tiffin 8 oz digestive biscuits, crushed

3 oz margarine

1 oz granulated sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 level tablespoon cocoa powder

1 block cooking chocolate – Ellen used white chocolate this time rather than the traditional dark chocolate and it worked well (we had run out of the usual stuff!)

Melt sugar, syrup, margarine and cocoa powder in a pan. Add crushed biscuits and mix thoroughly. Press down into swiss roll tin and leave to cool.

Coat top with melted chocolate and cut into squares when set.

You can add sultanas, nuts, cherries etc to the mix if you want.

Homemade masks To make a face mask you will need:

2 pieces of material (one outer and one liner, could be

the same)

9” x 6”, 2 pieces of elastic 7” each

Sew the elastic onto the front side of the outer fabric, at the sides, approximately 5cm from the edges.

Place fabrics right side facing and sew all around, leaving a 3 inch gap on the bottom.

Turn whole thing inside out and press.

Make 3 folds across the front of the mask, in the same direction. Pin in place.

Top stitch around the whole of the mask, securing the folds and sealing the gap. Done.

These can be washed. This pattern was taken from Pinterest.

Here are some thoughts from some of our lovely

ladies from our church family, we hope you will

enjoy them and find comfort and encouragement.

Prayer Points

Love and God Bless Trish Wells

People are becoming tired and frustrated with the continuing

uncertainties in lockdown: pray that we will remain positive and count all the blessings which we have

Pray that we will stay connected. Thank God for the cluster

groups and for the home groups. Pray also for Cheadle FM – that it will reach people in our community who are isolated and for wisdom for the directors as to whether to apply for an extension to the licence (this costs money and needs a lot of energy from the volunteers to keep going)

Pray for our government and their advisers: give them wis-

dom in how to manage easing the lockdown so that people will stay safe, but also feel as though we are moving forward

Pray for NHS workers, care workers and other essential staff. Pray also for teachers as they face the stress of returning to work in an uncertain environment

Pray for our children: that they will still be able to learn and to develop socially whilst we are in lockdown. Pray that our children and young people will continue to learn about Jesus even though they cannot meet in Sunday school or youth groups

My bible verses for today are familiar to us from Christmas, but they are relevant for us at all times and remind us that Jesus is in control of all our lives – and the “zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish it” – how reassuring are those words! Isaiah 9 verses 6 & 7:

6 For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the greatness of his government and peace

there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

Hi Lovely Ladies of St Mary's/ St Cuthberts,

My name is Milly and I am married to Colin Bradley and we are "facing lockdown" together in our Bramhall home with our cat Mcfly. We cannot lie there have been positives and negatives but overall it has brought us closer as a couple. Unfortunately I fall into the " Extremely Vulnerable" category with my Asthma so that has meant I have had to shield at home. Colin has

shielded with me until the last week and now he has started back at work running his business as an Electrician whilst " socially distancing". I am working from home for the NHS as an " CBT Therapist". I will be honest and it has been stressful and so busy however I am so grateful to help others at this uncertain time.

Colin has been keeping himself busy by working on our " project garden" and I have been spending time staying in contact with my 10 siblings and 19 nieces/ nephews by zoom/ whatsapp calls. Plus palming off my baking on any neighbour who will take it.

Those who know me... know I love to bake. This time of " Lock-down" has taught me what is important and how important it is to do things that help me manage stress in these difficult times.

Making sure I catch up with close friends, still have date night with my Husband, allow myself to be upset but also to laugh. Plus the main way I have coped is by worshipping God with amazing Christian music. I do it with the windows wide open... I am sure the neighbours are wondering who is praising God so loudly!!

Take care and stay well every-one

Much love and God bless

Milly Bradley

Rector: Rob Munro 428 3440 rob.munro@cheadle.org.uk

Associate Minister Stan Tomalin 491 6939 stan.tomalin@cheadle.org.uk

Associate (St.Cuths) Mike Newman 428 5212 mike@stcuthberts.org Curate Ian Chidlow 428 8050 ian.chidlow@cheadle.org.uk

Curate Peter Dooley 428 8050 peter.dooley@cheadle.org.uk Youth Pastor Luke Blakeley luke.blakeley@cheadle.org.uk

C.O.W Mark Tomlinson 428 8050 mark.tomlinson@cheadle.org.uk

Operations Jon Drayton 428 8050 operations@cheadle.org.uk Finance Jo Davids 428 8050 jo.davids@cheadle.org.uk

PA/Administrator Liz Woods 428 8050 liz.woods@cheadle.org.uk

Church Office, The Upper Room,

11 Wilmslow Road, Cheadle, SK8 1DW

churchoffice@cheadle.org.uk

www.cheadle.org.uk

CLERGY

CHURCH OFFICE

CHILDREN &

YOUTH

St.Mary’s On-Line

All live meetings via

www.zoom.us Soundbites & Mid-Week services via

www.youtube.co.uk

Links for services on our

website—

www.cheadle.org.uk Sun 14th June—10.30am LIVE On-Line St Mary's Cheadle Sunday worship https://

cheadle.org.uk/youtube or https://cheadle.org.uk/facebook

— For "Virtual Coffee" afterward click https://cheadle.org.uk/zoom Zoom.—meeting ID: 786 070 1560 St Cuthbert’s 10.30am service can also be viewed from Youtube: https://youtu.be/pnbskfHYq5Q

Mon, Tues ,Thurs & Fri Soundbites Daily Inspiration for each day—Link via our YouTube.co.uk and search ‘st marys cheadle’

Monday—Saturday 8.30am On-Line Daily Prayers—join us live On-Line from St Mary's Cheadle linked together via Zoom—id 786 070 1560

Wed 17th June 12noon Midweek service (Weekly) from St Cuthbert's—Join us online at 12 noon for our mid-week service accessible via YouTube.co.uk and search ’st cuthberts cheadle’

Wed 17th June 8pm (Weekly) ON-LINE LIVE Weekly Prayer Meeting from St Mary's Cheadle — via Zoom to prayer for the Church, our community and wider world. Meeting Id: 786 070 1560

Thur 18th June 10am (Weekly) Ladies Bible Study with children Bring a prepared prayer with you if you can . Please email melnavesey@hotmaiil.co.uk for the link, id and password

Thur & Sunday (Weekly) ON-LINE Focus Youth Group. Strictly invitation only. If you need an invite please message luke.blakeley@cheadle.org.uk

Dear Church Family, George Floyd’s name is known around the world. A few weeks ago he was murdered in a cruel and shocking way. It is an appalling reality but it wasn’t unusual. The number of black people who have died at the hands of white policemen, in different parts of the world, is utterly shameful and unacceptable. Racism is real, it is an evil that has been ignored for far too long and it is present in our country, cities, communities and churches. It is a matter of justice, the gospel, and it is a sin that must be repented of. Black Lives Matter to God The statement “Black lives matter” is something that the Bible fervently teaches. The Bible says that God created all people equally in his image, “God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness’ ... So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1v26-27) Being God’s image is fundamental to the Bible’s definition of humanity and the heart of human identity. That is why murder is such a serious crime. In fact the Bible defines murder in terms of killing the image of God. This is what the men who murdered George Floyd are guilty of; and the Bible, rather than playing things down, stresses the seriousness of their offence against George Floyd personally, his family and friends, and God in whose image he was created. His death, as he cried out “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe” was an affront to God who gave George Floyd his breath. Black lives matter to God. Black Lives Matter to Jesus Christ The value that the Bible places on every man, woman and child, no matter what their race, could not be higher. This is underlined in salvation as well as creation and so we read, “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1v18-19) In creation God made all people equally in his image and in salvation he paid the precious blood of the Lord Jesus to make all his people his children, to whom he gives his Holy Spirit. (Galatians 3:26-28) Every day countless people experience racism expressed in injustice, inequality and hatred. The Bible points us to a day when Jesus Christ will judge the world for sin, including racism, and bring it to an end. He will gather God’s people, from all races and backgrounds, to worship God forever. “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10) It is important to notice that our different races are not eradicated in heaven but they are an essential aspect of our celebration of God and of our salvation through Jesus Christ – the Lamb. Black lives matter to Jesus Christ. Black Lives Matter to St Mary’s Cheadle In light of the past (our creation in God’s image and salvation to be his children) and in view of the future (people from every race in God’s presence forever) we dedicate ourselves to worshipping, witnessing, living, thinking and acting as God’s equal image bearers and loved children. What does this mean now, in the current “Black lives matter” context? If our response to the statement “Black lives matter” is "surely all lives matter" we may need to face the challenge of how blind we are to racism. The response lacks empathy for George Floyd and why is this? Because the truth is we believe that what happened to him would never happen to us. And why is that? Is it because we are white? Is it because we are not black? We must judge this in our own hearts. There is an alternative response to the statement “Black lives matter”. “Yes Black lives do matter. George Floyd’s life mattered to him, to his family, to his community, to God and his Son Jesus Christ. George Floyd’s murder was an abhorrent outrage.” Racism is an act of rebellion against God, his word the Bible and his will for the world. Racism is wrong, whether in the form of open abuse, systemic exclusion, unconscious bias or the promotion of racial stereotypes. It is wrong whether it’s subtle, secret or silently coercive. As believers in Christ, we must personally repent of and root out racism wherever we come across it. We must seek to love and respect our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter their race. In light of these things we need to commit ourselves to praying and working for our ongoing renewal and godliness. We need to faithfully and openly teach adults and children to understand and live what the Bible says about race and human identity. We need to promote the welfare of every member of our church family, whatever their ethnicity, ensuring everyone feels welcome, safe and is able to thrive in their Christian discipleship. We need to both suffer and rejoice together as one body, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together.” (1Corinthians 12v26) This specifically includes suffering racism in all its expressions. We will also need to be open with one another in order to hear, understand and celebrate our cultural and racial differences. Black lives matter to St Mary’s Cheadle. Yours in Christ. Bekah Davies