St. Michael’s Church

Shotwick

Newsletter February 2018

Welcoming and active at the heart of the Parish

Church Officials

Vicar:

The Revd. Cathy Helm

The Vicarage, Burton CH64 5TJ

0747 189 0827

chelm@shotwick.org.uk

Church Wardens:

Mrs. Joanna Brookes

01244 881 284

brookesjoanna53@gmail.com

Mrs. June Pickard

0151 339 8163

junepickard@aol.com

PCC Secretary:

Mrs. Alison Allen

01244 880 165

PCC Treasurer:

Mr. George Makin

0151 336 5126

Bell Tower Captain:

Mr. Frank Parry

01244 377 248

Visit our website:- www.shotwick.org.uk

It has taken me a quite a while to realise that the little symbol at the corner of the search window on the internet meant to ‘refresh’. Click on that and you can refresh the search. Begin again. Start it as new. Already we can see along Vicarage lane the amazing way in which the seasons ‘refresh’ the world around us with snowdrop and daffodil bulbs poking through. To make fresh again means something feels enriching, exciting, worthwhile and even joyful. A fresh pot of tea is always more edifying, fresh sheets more cosy, a fresh page in a note book holds the expectation of countless possibilities ….as does a fresh start.

I am in awe of countless faithful people who remain committed and part of the same church family for years….some for the whole of their lives. I’ve been part of 7 churches over my life time and have learned so much from each of them and enjoyed being part of God’s family in different parts of the country. To remain in one place and see people come and go and to remain faithful and not lose heart I think is awe-inspiring. There is so much wisdom and experience which needs to be valued and heard. There are those who are so faithful in prayer which often go unnoticed, there are those whose hearts are filled with joy at seeing new generations coming into the church, there are those who quietly visit the sick and lonely and those who will try something new again because they know the truth of Lamentations 3: 23….’great is His faithfulness, his loving-kindness begins afresh each day.’

They are attuned to that refreshing spirit of God which enables them to refresh again and again.

Whether we’ve been in one church or many, how do we keep our faith and our love for God ‘fresh’ over the long term? Isn’t it just the same as how we keep any long term relationship refreshed,

A message from our Vicar

by doing stuff together, laughing, crying, sharing, eating, listening and loving. In Acts 3:19 Luke writes

‘Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins and pour out showers of blessing to refresh you.’

I give thanks that there are so many within our church who have faithfully and are still faithfully doing this and are seeking to bring the joy of the refreshment that knowing Jesus brings. Our Lent course this year gives us a chance to look again at the joy and mystery of the resurrection…the ultimate expression of what it is to be refreshed…to start again, to be made new through the risen life of Jesus.

Romans 6: 4 ‘Christ was raised from the dead, through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.’

Isn’t that a refresh button worth pressing!

Cathy

Frank and his team are always looking for people to try bellringing.

Practice night is on a Friday at 7pm.

Give Frank a ring on 01244 377 248 for more details.

Bellringers

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Our third Cook Book, “What was in Grandma’s larder when she wanted to make Cakes and Biscuits”, is on sale now at £7.50 each.

We have focussed on old fashioned recipes, the sort catered for to a large extent by standard cupboard ingredients, and we hope that you will enjoy baking cakes and biscuits from the past.

Please get in touch with Jenny jcsned@gmail.com if you would like a copy.

Church Services

All at 11.30am

1st Sunday (in the month) All age Worship (Family Service)

2nd Sunday Holy Communion (Book of Common Worship)

3rd Sunday Morning Prayer (1662 Prayer Book)

4th Sunday Holy Communion (1662 Prayer Book)

5th Sunday Holy Communion (1662 Prayer Book)

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On Sale Now

Thursday 22nd

February “Hilbre: Inspiration Island” Matt Thomas

Sunday 18th March (4.00pm) Storytelling Service

Friday 30th

March Walk of witness from Shotwick to

Burton

Sunday 22nd

April Annual Church Meeting

Friday 4th - Sunday 7th May Art Weekend

What’s On

Make a note in your diary!

Confirmation Service

29th

April 2018 6.30pm

This year we have the

Bishop Keith Sinclair,

Bishop of Birkenhead

coming to take our

Confirmation service at

St Nicholas’ church.

It is a service which

gives a person the

opportunity to confirm

the promises that were

made when they were

baptized. If you were

baptized as a child and godparents made those promises on your

behalf it’s your chance to ‘own’ those for yourself, to acknowledge

that you are ready to continue on your journey of faith in

committing to follow Jesus Christ and take part in the life of the

church. At the service there is also opportunity for those who have

not been baptized to be baptized and confirmed and for those who

may wish to renew their commitment to Jesus, there is an

opportunity for that too. All those who come will be there to support

you and to promise to pray for you as you continue to grow in your

faith and discipleship.

A Confirmation service is a wonderful high point in the life of a

church as we see people of all ages…..Keith reckons the oldest

person he has Confirmed was in their late eighties……make a

stand for their faith in God and to receive God’s assurance of

being with them as they continue through life and all that it brings.

If you are interested in being Confirmed, Baptised or being able to

renew your commitment then please get in touch and we can

arrange some time together to prepare.

Cathy

On the evening of Saturday 25th November 48 merry revellers

assembled in church for a medieval banquet. Many of those

attending dressed for the occasion in a variety of costumes

ranging from a rural serving maid to a scribe and from a knight to

someone who looked remarkably like Marie Antoinette! Most

splendid of all were the Lord and Lady of the manor (aka Frank

and Eunice) in their ermine trimmed robes.

Medieval Banquet

After they had processed down the aisle to their seats on the top

table Cathy said grace in Latin and the proceedings began. A

delicious meal was served comprising chicken with roast

vegetables accompanied by bread rolls, apple pie and cream

and cheese and fruit. We were then entertained with music,

poems, a form of juggling (!) and a challenging Medieval quiz -

congratulations to the winners who scored a creditable 50 points

out of 60.

The banquet was the brainchild of Gaelagh who, along with

George, meticulously planned the whole event. The success of

the evening was due to their foresight and hard work and to

them both we express our grateful thanks. Along with a band of

helpers they decorated the church and tables beautifully,

organised the food and ensured that everything ran like

clockwork. Izzy deserves a special mention - she worked

tirelessly serving the food and clearing away.

The enjoyment of all who came was evident - it was an evening

filled with laughter and merriment. Not only did the banquet

generate a great deal of pleasure and enjoyment but it also

raised over £500 for church funds - a magnificent result.

Vanessa

From early morning a team of willing helpers prepared the Church. Under the direction of George tables and chairs were arranged, shields and banners were installed and the area at the rear of the church was transformed into a banqueting hall.

Tickets were sold under Vanessa’s supervision and catering organised under the direction of Gaelagh. Chickens and apple pies were purchased, potatoes and vegetables roasted, tables laid and hot plates and dryers put in place for the commencement of the merriment.

At the appointed hour the invited guests, lords and ladies, serving wenches, court jester and assistant assembled, most of them unrecognisable in their finery or otherwise. The Lord and Lady of the feast (Frank and Eunice) took their appointed places with due ceremony and following a blessing on the company from the Vicar-resplendent in her robes- the feasting and merriment commenced.

….and from Joanna….

The youngest member of the group, Izzy, worked extremely hard all night serving food to the company while guests provided their own beverages.

Between courses the assembled company were royally entertained by court jester Clive Nicholson, who performed a tune on his recorder and a short juggling act (both skills acquired for the night). He was assisted by his glamourous assistant June.

Later in the evening, after sufficient alcohol had been partaken, we all took part (to a greater or lesser extent) in a quiz. When all the guests had departed the washing up was distributed between willing volunteers.

A good night was had by all. Thanks to all concerned.

Article by Joanna. Photographs by Vanessa.

Hilbre: Inspiration Island

Thursday 22nd

February 7.30pm

An illustrated talk in church by Matt Thomas

Admission £5 to include refreshments

Saturday 3rd

February

Saturday 7th April

8.00am at the Thornton Hall Hotel & Spa, Thornton Hough

For further details please see Basil.

Men’s Breakfasts

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Plough Sunday at St Michael’s

The observance of Plough Sunday on the First Sunday of

Epiphany goes back to Victorian times, but behind it there is a

much older tradition associated with the first working day after the

twelve days of Christmas.

Today, Plough Sunday is seen as a way of generally celebrating

the work of farmers and the beginning of the agricultural year. It is

an opportunity to cherish the land and human labour, and to

remind us all of our dependence upon it and upon God.

God speed the plough;

the plough and the plougher,

the farm and the farmer, machine, beast and worker.

God speed the plough;

In fair weather and foul, in success and disappointment,

In wind and rain, in frost and sunshine

God speed the plough.

Photographs by Di

On 9th November Geoff

Pickard gave a talk at St Michael’s about Blackpool, tracing its story from its humble beginnings to its heyday in the 1950s when it attracted 17 million visitors per year.

The name Blackpool comes from a nearby stream which flowed through a peat bog and

so was black when it reached the sea. In 1750 Blackpool consisted of 24 cottages and the resort only increased in size when sea bathing became popular for health reasons. In 1781 the first road was constructed to make Blackpool accessible to stagecoaches and by 1840 there were 2,500 people living there and hotels were being built.

The first railway station, Blackpool North, opened in 1846 and quickly expanded to sixteen platforms to accommodate excursion trains. A second station, Blackpool Central, later opened with fourteen platforms and by 1911 it was the busiest station in the world. Blackpool Central closed in 1963.

Blackpool council developed the resort to keep visitors happy, starting with the promenade and piers. They built three piers over a period of thirty years in the nineteenth century and various attractions were placed there, including a bandstand for open air concerts and areas for dancing and roller skating. They also built the Winter Gardens which included the ballroom and which were intended to attract the wealthier visitors when the weather was bad. A big wheel opened in 1896 but it was very disappointing as it stopped every time a carriage reached the bottom and it was demolished in 1928.

Blackpool tower was inspired by the Eiffel Tower. A site was chosen adjacent to the central beach and the tower was

“Beside the Seaside”

completed in 1894, attracting 3,000 visitors on its first day. It has always been a financial success.

In 1905 Blackpool pleasure beach was opened. This was a fun fair aimed at adults based on Coney Island in New York and it included an underground boat ride, a toboggan slide and a water chute. A promenade was built to separate the site from the beach and it is still the UK’s top visitor attraction with 16,000,000 visitors per year.

In 1885 a tramway was laid. The trams initially ran on electricity taken from a slot in the track but high tides caused shorting so the council converted the trams to overhead wires. Most of the tramways were closed in 1963 to make space for cars but some are still in operation today.

In 1912 the promenade was widened by building another sea wall and filling the space between the two sea walls with sand. 10,000 light bulbs were used for the opening ceremony and from that time onwards lights were used to attract visitors to Blackpool. This was the start of Blackpool Illuminations which has run continuously from 1925 apart from a break during the Second World War.

Stanley Park was built to provide the opportunity for the masses to play sport as well as being a traditional park. It comprises 260 acres and is now a Grade II listed site.

Outside London, Blackpool offered the biggest variety of shows for people to see, featuring entertainers such as Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper, Bob Monkhouse and Frank Sinatra. In 1964 the Beatles played there. However from the 1960s onwards the number of visitors coming to Blackpool declined, and over the last few years the council have spent a lot of money on town centre development and a new promenade to try to revive the resort.

Cathy proposed a vote of thanks to Geoff for his talk and the evening ended with refreshments and Blackpool rock kindly provided by June and her helpers.

Susan

Safety checks undertaken

on pew seats

A big ‘thank you’ to the bell ringers for undertaking a monthly

check of all the church pew seats to ensure that they are safe

and fit for purpose.

We are pleased to say that the pew seat that was broken last

August has been removed.

The bellringers check that the pew seats are safe

Article by Cathy

Photograph by Di

A prayer for the long haul:

Loving Father,

Carry us when the path gets rough,

Give us the courage to continue to be available to you and to others,

Ready to share our experience without arrogance.

Grant that the years that are left to us may be

The holiest,

And the most loving

And the most creative.

Thank you for the past and for leaving the best wine until now.

Amen

Joy Gadsby

I have had enough of sad saints and sour religion.

I have had enough of sin spotting

And grace doubting.

I need some laughter Lord, the kind you planted in Sarah.

But, please may I not have to wait

Until I am ninety and pregnant.

Church of Scotland

Prayers