Our Services for April (and just into May)
All services are now back in church
Date |
Service Details |
Sunday April 7th |
Hub Worship at St. David's. It's a 10am start. Refreshments after the service |
Sunday April 14th |
All Age Worship @ 11am |
Sunday April 21st |
Holy Communion @ 11am in Parish Hall |
Sunday April 28th |
Holy Communion and Lighthouse Sunday School |
Sunday May 5th |
Hub Worship at St. David's. It's a 10am start. Refreshments after the service |
Afternoon Tea Update
Our afternoon tea on Saturday April 20th, was a great success! Just over £800 was raised for church funds. Here are some photos of the loyal volunteers setting up.
Thanks very much for all your support - it means an awful lot to us.
Thanks very much for all your support - it means an awful lot to us.
Our Latest Messy Church: (Monday 18th March 2024)
Reverend Mike Perrin has been in touch to update us on the third meeting of Messy Church (since it was brought back out of hibernation in December 2023).
Mike says...
At Messy Church this month we have been having a busy "MESSY EASTER!" We have been planting Easter gardens, making crosses to wear, and making Easter story decorations to hang up at home.
But that not all! Also we built a model of Jerusalem city, made palm leaves to wave as we sang "We Have A King Who Rides A Donkey" to the tune of "What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor." We also heard the Easter story (very important!)...and lots lots lots more.
Our next Messy Church is Monday 20th May from 4pm to 6pm. Everyone is welcome and we hope to see you soon.
Here are some photos of our third Messy Church...
Events Diary:
Annual Parochial Church Meeting:
Thursday 16th May at 7pm (for 7.15 start), at St. Stephen’s Church.
Next PCC:
Tuesday 23rd April 7pm for 7.15 start at St. Stephen’s.
JED's Pantry at St. Stephen's:
Tuesdays 9am to 11am and 11am to 1pm. Welcome Spaces with 'pay as you feel' lunch.
Tuesday 9th April Another Rebuild with Hope Sale. 10am to 1pm. M&S, Next, White Company. Smiggle or similar high street retail products up to 66% discount. Always popular, open to non-pantry members. Why not bring a friend?
Next PCC Meeting:
Tuesday 23rd April @ St. David's. 7pm for a 7:15pm start.
Aspull Together Memories Group:
St. Elizabeth's Parish Hall, Bolton Road, at 10.00am to 12.00 noon. There's a lot going on!
Further information from Sheila: 01942 832369/07740 965110.
Men Who Mourn:
We are a totally informal group to support men who have lost loved ones. We have no set agenda; you will be able to talk freely about anything you choose or just have a chat. If you feel you need to talk to someone on a one-to-one basis, then we are there for you. We are not counsellors but have all lost loved ones so understand some of what you are going through. Our last meeting was on Tuesday 2nd April at 12:30pm in the Balcarres Arms, Haigh. Check back here for details of our May meeting.
"The Well”
The next one is on April 7th @ St. Mark's, Newtown.
Mothers' Union:
Next meeting: Tuesday 16th April 7.30pm at Janice's house. A speaker from ' Fort Alice' about Domestic Abuse. An open meeting for those interested...but please let Cathy know if you would like to attend.
Journey Groups:
Come and join a journey group! They meet fortnightly:
All our groups have space to welcome new members – please speak to one of the clergy, or to Cathy Perrin, Andrew Turton or Steve Shoesmith.
For all enquiries about Church/Events: text or leave a voicemail on 07759 252501
Or email: [email protected]
Facebook: @NEHubWigan
Annual Parochial Church Meeting:
Thursday 16th May at 7pm (for 7.15 start), at St. Stephen’s Church.
Next PCC:
Tuesday 23rd April 7pm for 7.15 start at St. Stephen’s.
JED's Pantry at St. Stephen's:
Tuesdays 9am to 11am and 11am to 1pm. Welcome Spaces with 'pay as you feel' lunch.
Tuesday 9th April Another Rebuild with Hope Sale. 10am to 1pm. M&S, Next, White Company. Smiggle or similar high street retail products up to 66% discount. Always popular, open to non-pantry members. Why not bring a friend?
Next PCC Meeting:
Tuesday 23rd April @ St. David's. 7pm for a 7:15pm start.
Aspull Together Memories Group:
St. Elizabeth's Parish Hall, Bolton Road, at 10.00am to 12.00 noon. There's a lot going on!
- Tuesday 9 April: talk by Dorothy Gladwyn. 'From blackboard to whiteboard.' Stories of Dorothy's experiences as a teacher/headteacher.
- Tuesday 16 April: talk by Louise Wade. 'Life in a Victorian School - not just the 3 R's'. The cost is £2 (which includes refreshments). Everyone is welcome, just come along!
- Afternoon Tea with stalls: 2pm on Saturday 20th April
Further information from Sheila: 01942 832369/07740 965110.
Men Who Mourn:
We are a totally informal group to support men who have lost loved ones. We have no set agenda; you will be able to talk freely about anything you choose or just have a chat. If you feel you need to talk to someone on a one-to-one basis, then we are there for you. We are not counsellors but have all lost loved ones so understand some of what you are going through. Our last meeting was on Tuesday 2nd April at 12:30pm in the Balcarres Arms, Haigh. Check back here for details of our May meeting.
"The Well”
The next one is on April 7th @ St. Mark's, Newtown.
Mothers' Union:
Next meeting: Tuesday 16th April 7.30pm at Janice's house. A speaker from ' Fort Alice' about Domestic Abuse. An open meeting for those interested...but please let Cathy know if you would like to attend.
Journey Groups:
Come and join a journey group! They meet fortnightly:
- Tuesday afternoons at 2pm on 2nd, 16th and 30th of April. Meeting at Firs Park Crescent.
- Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm on 16th and 30th of April at Whelley Vicarage.
- Wednesday afternoons at 2pm on 3rd and 17th April plus the 1st May at Lincoln Drive.
All our groups have space to welcome new members – please speak to one of the clergy, or to Cathy Perrin, Andrew Turton or Steve Shoesmith.
For all enquiries about Church/Events: text or leave a voicemail on 07759 252501
Or email: [email protected]
Facebook: @NEHubWigan
£8.5M for Parish Outreach...
Nearly £8.5 million awarded for projects including parish renewals and children’s and youth work in rural and urban areas.
The Church of England has awarded nearly £8.5 million for projects to help churches spread the Christian faith, including parish renewal programmes and children’s and youth work in rural and urban areas.
Grants have been approved for mission from the north of England to the Kent coast, much of it in low income areas, covering parish revitalisation programmes, ‘hubs’ for children’s and youth work, church planting and the expansion of a model of family church that has grown ‘exponentially’ after it was set up in 2020.
The awards, to Canterbury, Durham, Hereford and Southwark Dioceses, have been made by the Church of England’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB).
In the Diocese of Durham, £4.7 million has been awarded over seven years for plans including 20 new hubs, rooted in local churches, for ministry to children and young people. Training will also be provided for 600 people in youth and children’s ministry.
The grant will also fund chaplaincy to secondary schools and support and seed funding for 25 churches to develop engagement with local secondary schools.
The Board has also agreed further funding in principle of £3.3 million – subject to further approvals – for eight parish revitalisations and for staff and ministry costs to support Sunderland Minster in its outreach and mission to the city.
In Canterbury Diocese, £3.2 million has been awarded for a programme of church planting, or setting up new congregations, and revitalisation over five years, focusing on parish churches in Margate and Maidstone in Kent.
Holy Trinity Margate will be re-established as a church supporting others in mission, working in partnership to revitalise the neighbouring parishes of St. Paul’s Cliftonville, St John’s Margate and All Saints’ Westbrook. The grant will be used to pay for ministry as well as much-needed repairs and renovation at St. Paul’s. Fundraising support is also included to help St. John’s Margate with a major building project.
A second project in north Maidstone will aim to develop the partnership between St. Luke’s - a thriving church which has trebled its congregation over the last three years to around 150 people - and St. Faith’s, a church plant into a housing estate from last year that is already growing. St. Luke’s will also explore how it can become a resourcing church to other churches in Maidstone.
The Diocese of Hereford has been awarded £457,630 to help pay for a series of ‘hubs’ or centres to support rural parishes in outreach to children and young people. The centres will start with pilots in two market towns, hosting youth and community workers and providing training in youth ministry while working in partnership with other programmes. A worshipping community for young families, that uses puppets and song to help tell Bible stories and talk about the Christian faith, has grown so fast that it has received a further award from the SMMIB to help its expansion. The ‘Bubble Church’ first set up in the Diocese of Southwark has grown ‘exponentially faster’ than was originally planned, from five churches to 30 since 2022, the SMMIB has heard.
The Board has awarded a further £145,423 to fund two support staff and to help churches with Bubble Church start-up costs in lower income communities. This comes after they received £250,000 in 2022 for expansion. The first Bubble church in Ascension Church, Balham, was set up during Covid restrictions in 2020, taking its name from the socially distanced ‘bubbles’ in which parents and children gathered for the new church.
The Board also made an award of £45,000 under its People and Partnerships Fund to The Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication for research into how local churches support the living out the Christian faith in everyday life. Carl Hughes, Chairman of the SMMIB said: “The Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board is very pleased indeed to award these grants for promising plans that we believe will help support the local church in the core mission of spreading the Christian faith, many of which build on previous investments. “All the proposals will help deliver the Church’s Vision and Strategy for the 2020s whilst reflecting the different contexts and needs of the parishes and local communities in which they are rooted. “We are really delighted to be working in partnership alongside these dioceses to ensure these proposals become a reality.
“It is exciting to see such a breadth of vision from pioneering work in helping rural parishes reach children and young people, to the proposal for work in Sunderland, the biggest population centre in the Diocese of Durham. “We are also excited by the opportunities to gather learning from the variety of approaches to ministry in these programmes to share across the whole Church.”
News courtesy of The Church of England Website
The Church of England has awarded nearly £8.5 million for projects to help churches spread the Christian faith, including parish renewal programmes and children’s and youth work in rural and urban areas.
Grants have been approved for mission from the north of England to the Kent coast, much of it in low income areas, covering parish revitalisation programmes, ‘hubs’ for children’s and youth work, church planting and the expansion of a model of family church that has grown ‘exponentially’ after it was set up in 2020.
The awards, to Canterbury, Durham, Hereford and Southwark Dioceses, have been made by the Church of England’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB).
In the Diocese of Durham, £4.7 million has been awarded over seven years for plans including 20 new hubs, rooted in local churches, for ministry to children and young people. Training will also be provided for 600 people in youth and children’s ministry.
The grant will also fund chaplaincy to secondary schools and support and seed funding for 25 churches to develop engagement with local secondary schools.
The Board has also agreed further funding in principle of £3.3 million – subject to further approvals – for eight parish revitalisations and for staff and ministry costs to support Sunderland Minster in its outreach and mission to the city.
In Canterbury Diocese, £3.2 million has been awarded for a programme of church planting, or setting up new congregations, and revitalisation over five years, focusing on parish churches in Margate and Maidstone in Kent.
Holy Trinity Margate will be re-established as a church supporting others in mission, working in partnership to revitalise the neighbouring parishes of St. Paul’s Cliftonville, St John’s Margate and All Saints’ Westbrook. The grant will be used to pay for ministry as well as much-needed repairs and renovation at St. Paul’s. Fundraising support is also included to help St. John’s Margate with a major building project.
A second project in north Maidstone will aim to develop the partnership between St. Luke’s - a thriving church which has trebled its congregation over the last three years to around 150 people - and St. Faith’s, a church plant into a housing estate from last year that is already growing. St. Luke’s will also explore how it can become a resourcing church to other churches in Maidstone.
The Diocese of Hereford has been awarded £457,630 to help pay for a series of ‘hubs’ or centres to support rural parishes in outreach to children and young people. The centres will start with pilots in two market towns, hosting youth and community workers and providing training in youth ministry while working in partnership with other programmes. A worshipping community for young families, that uses puppets and song to help tell Bible stories and talk about the Christian faith, has grown so fast that it has received a further award from the SMMIB to help its expansion. The ‘Bubble Church’ first set up in the Diocese of Southwark has grown ‘exponentially faster’ than was originally planned, from five churches to 30 since 2022, the SMMIB has heard.
The Board has awarded a further £145,423 to fund two support staff and to help churches with Bubble Church start-up costs in lower income communities. This comes after they received £250,000 in 2022 for expansion. The first Bubble church in Ascension Church, Balham, was set up during Covid restrictions in 2020, taking its name from the socially distanced ‘bubbles’ in which parents and children gathered for the new church.
The Board also made an award of £45,000 under its People and Partnerships Fund to The Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication for research into how local churches support the living out the Christian faith in everyday life. Carl Hughes, Chairman of the SMMIB said: “The Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board is very pleased indeed to award these grants for promising plans that we believe will help support the local church in the core mission of spreading the Christian faith, many of which build on previous investments. “All the proposals will help deliver the Church’s Vision and Strategy for the 2020s whilst reflecting the different contexts and needs of the parishes and local communities in which they are rooted. “We are really delighted to be working in partnership alongside these dioceses to ensure these proposals become a reality.
“It is exciting to see such a breadth of vision from pioneering work in helping rural parishes reach children and young people, to the proposal for work in Sunderland, the biggest population centre in the Diocese of Durham. “We are also excited by the opportunities to gather learning from the variety of approaches to ministry in these programmes to share across the whole Church.”
News courtesy of The Church of England Website