ST MARY & ALL SAINTS WITH ST JOHN – NOTICES

27th September 2020

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

“Our vision is to follow Jesus by learning His ways and sharing His love”

We seek to enjoy fellowship together as we worship God, grow in discipleship, develop in ministry and reach our community with the gospel.

We value welcome, worship and witness.

Coronavirus

Please Continue to Check the Prayer and Worship section for the readings and sermon for each week. The rota schedule for worship leaders is now back live on the website.

 Following the APCM, due to the retirements of the incumbents, we are still appealing for volunteers to fill the following posts :

• PCC Members (2)

• Churchwarden (1)

• At a meeting of the deanery churchwardens this week, I was informed that, under new rules from the Church of England, we need to (re)elect our two deanery synod representatives this year. The position is elected for a period of three years. Our current representatives are Lorraine Ashworth and Janet Clegg. Both are willing to re-stand for election. If anyone else wishes to stand, please respond to the church email address (stmarygoodshaw@yahoo.com) by 30^th September. If we do need to hold an election, this will be done by email (or by post for those members of the electoral role who do not have email access) during the week of 5^th October.

• GIFT DAY this year will be on Sunday 25^th October. As was mentioned at the APCM, the PCC would like to invest in a new heating system for church this year. The estimated cost of the investment will be in the region of £ 35-40 000, including VAT. With church income down this year by around £9000 as a result of the restrictions we face due to Covid19, please do pray for this year’s Gift Day and consider what you may be able to contribute this year. If you are unable to make it to the service on Gift Day, please either send your donation via bank transfer to the church bank account (see below) or email the church (stmarygoodshaw@yahoo.com) or call Mike Black for details of where to send a cheque. Please mark any bank transfers “Gift Day 2020”.

• Our Harvest Thanksgiving service this year will be held on Sunday 4^th October. This year, the service will obviously be different from previous years, due to the Covid19 restrictions. We will not be able to accept any type of food offering, but the PCC has decided to make an appeal for monetary donations (marked “Harvest 2020”) through a retiring collection or via the other usual methods. The PCC have voted that this year’s donations will be shared between RAFT and the Bacup Family Centre.

• The church bank account details are as follows :

• Account Name : St Mary & All Saints, Goodshaw, with St John, Crawshawbooth,

• Sort Code : 09-01-53

• Account Number : 75875484

• With everything happening around lockdown and the church being closed for several months, things have got out of sync with the Children’s Society Boxes. If you do have one, please bring it in to church for Noreen as soon as possible, or give her a call to arrange to give it to her at a time to suit you both. Noreen’s number is 07837 192 793.

• This week has seen the launch of the NHS Covid19 App, and the Church of England has been quick to pick this up by suggesting that all churches should create their own QR-Code and have people coming to services log in with the QR-Reader on their smartphones at the church door. I hope you will be pleased to hear that, unless or until this becomes mandatory, we won't be going down that route at Goodshaw. For starters, it is a system, which excludes anyone who hasn't got a smartphone built in the last 2 or 3 years. Secondly, we have a system, which has proved, in a "live" situation that it works perfectly well. I'm all for moving forward with the times and using modern technology, but, where our church family is concerned, it must be inclusive and accessible to all.

• Next weekend, Stephen and Eliza Rayner go off to Cambridge. I'm sure that you'll join me in praying that the Lord keeps them both safe and well in their new surroundings.

• You might remember back in January that we were appealing for somebody to be a link person from this church to pass on prayer requests within the Deanery. Lockdown prevented the prayer link team from being formed, but we need to get this started now. Please can any volunteers for this role get in touch urgently with Lorraine or Janet, so we can pass your name to Rod Bevan. We don't want our church to be left out.

Re-Opening Church After Lockdown  

Please see the RE-OPENING OF CHURCH page for further information as Church will operate differently.

• As a reminder to everyone. Moving forward:

• If you are feeling unwell, or if you, or any member of your household are awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test, please do not come to church.

• Please pray for all families within our parish, who have been affected by Covid-19.
• The Covid special measures for Rossendale are being lifted this coming Wednesday (26th August), but do remember to follow all the guidance and take care, when you're out and about.

•  The Church of England updated its guidance for conducting services on Friday, 7^th August 2020. Under the new guidelines, those leading services no longer need to wear facemasks, with the exception of when communion is being distributed. We will follow this guidance, which will, hopefully make it easier for members of the congregation to understand what is being said !!

• Despite the additional social restrictions from 14/09/20, services will continue at church for the foreseeable future. 

• Following feedback and a vote, we are re-opening the church toilet. Please follow the guidelines posted in and around the toilet. This includes sanitising your hands both before and after using the lavatory.

• Although we are now back in church, many members of our church family will still not be able to make it to church, or will still be shielding. Please do keep all these people in your prayers, and remember to give them a call to see how they are doing. The Sunday readings and sermons will continue to be included in the notices. No notices will be handed out at the services.

• PLEASE SEE THE RE-OPENING OF CHURCH PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

   A REMINDER : Although lockdown is drawing to a close, many of our church family are still not in a position to go out and socialise. If you are feeling lonely and down after so many weeks of our social isolation, you’re not on your own. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF PICKING UP THE PHONE to any member of the church leadership team or Pastoral Team. It’s OK not to be OK. We have a loving church family, and plenty of help is available.

•   HAVE YOU GOT THE CHILDREN AT HOME ? DO YOU WANT THEM TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE BIBLE STORIES THEY’D BE HEARING AT JUNIOR CHURCH ? Check out a website called sermons4kids.   https://sermons4kids.com

• Also, DON’T forget to have them follow the Facebook page set up by our Family & Community Worker, Claire. – elect the link for ARK – Anglican Rossendale Kids on Facebook. It’s GREAT !!!

•   There are lots of different ways to participate in worship each Sunday if you can't get to church, 

Here are just some of the options to worship online:

• St Paul’s, Constable Lee service is taking place on Zoom at 10:50, for the service to beging at 11:00am. Here is the link to the service. (It’s the same link every week.)

  • Password : 119583

  • Meeting ID: 893 5052 7352

  • https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89350527352?pwd=M2JGS1R4VFZuaktjNE95UzJZSGVRZz09

• St Anne’s Edgeside will hold their virtual service on Zoom at 11:00am. To join this service, again, you need to be registered on Zoom. If you would like to join in this service, please contact Mike.
• St Nicholas, Newchurch, will hold their virtual service on Zoom at 3:00pm. Please visit stnicholasnewchurch.com for details on how to join the service.
• At 08:10am, the Sunday worship on Radio 4 is led by Rev Canon Rachel Mann, of St Nick’s Burnage, Manchester, who celebrates an urban harvest
• At 9:00am, on The Church of England’s Facebook Page and live streaming on Facebook and YouTube. This week’s service celebrates the Harvest Festival and is led by Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley, who reflects on climate change, farming and the beauty of nature.

• Watch out also on Facebook for the virtual service of St John the Evangelist, Worsthorne.

•   Please do use the internet and social media, especially Facebook, to follow what the broader Church of England is doing during the crisis. Alternatively, the Church of England has launched a FREEPHONE service, Daily Hope, which you might find helpful and uplifting. Even if you just want to hear some hymns being sung, why not give it a call ? It’s free - call on 08008048044!!

•  As Christians, we are called to love our neighbours. We can do this in many ways, despite the enforced isolation in which we find ourselves.

• Give someone a call to check that they’re coping with the situation.

• Pray over the phone with a friend.

• Pray alone or with the other members of your household for safe deliverance from this epidemic for your families, those whose work puts them in danger of infection and those who lead our country through this crisis.

•  Pastoral Care Matters : We are facing worrying times at the moment.

• Because of coronavirus, home visits by the Pastoral Team will have to be placed on hold for the moment. This is being done to protect the members of our church family who fall into the “vulnerable” category of our population. Nevertheless, our Pastoral Team is still working and are more than willing to provide a listening ear or to pray with you over the phone. If you are forced to self-isolate and need someone to do your shopping, this can be arranged (but may not extend to loo roll). If you feel the need for support, please email us on stmarygoodshaw@yahoo.com, or call Elaine, who will act as coordinator for the Pastoral Team.

•   Dates for PCC Meetings in 2020 :

• November 3^rd

•   Even though we are able to hold services again we would still ask you to please consider switching to donating through standing order. If you wish to do so, here are the bank details :

Account Name : St Mary & All Saints with St John

Sort Code : 09-01-53

Account Number : 75875484

• Quiet Days – Julie Barratt will be leading a quiet day again this year.  This is a time for study and reflection.  Due to Covid 19 If you haven't already, please follow the Link to the reflection for the reflection that was due to take place Saturday, 16th May Julie will be producing reflections for October as we will be unable to meet in person. 

• If you have any Notices to be shared, please email them to stmarygoodshaw@yahoo.com by Thursday evening, so that they can be included on the Sunday Notices circular. If you wish to receive the notices electronically each week, please speak to Mike or email the above address.