June E-Magazine 2021
In this edition of E-Magazine we have:
Moving on - News from Gail
Wanted - Church Safeguarding Officers
Restoring Parish Life
Goodbye to Andy and Beth Bird
Pilgrimage Walk to Tintern Abbey
Zoom Coffee Morning details
Pet Service details
Westerleigh Village Breakfast details
Services Throughout the Parish
Morning Prayer in Yate
Compline at 8pm
DailyHope Phone Line details
For a full printable magazine click the file below
Moving on - news from Gail
To quote that infamous theologian Winnie the Pooh ‘I always get to where I am going by walking away from where I have been’.
All good things must come to an end! And it is with a sense of adventure that my family and I embark on a new exciting chapter in our lives. This summer I will be commissioned as Priest-in-Charge of The Benefice by The Sea, the parishes of Kewstoke and Wick St Lawrence, near Weston Super Mare in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
Stepping out in faith means trusting God fully with the next step, even if you are not sure where you are going. The path to this appointment has not been straightforward: some doors that I pushed would not open for me, but when I visited the parishes at the beginning of May I sensed that this is the place God is calling me to lead.
Stepping out in faith is what the disciples did after the ascension: they did not know where they would go and what exactly the task was, but they were prepared to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Everything they did was rooted in prayer, and following the example of Jesus they cared for everyone, even the marginalised. However, Jesus did not leave them on their own, he sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to help and empower them.
Stepping out in faith is what we do as we carry out our Everyday Mission, looking for where God is working in our parish and joining in. And so, as I leave you this summer I encourage you to continue to be inspired, to work together to grow God’s mission here Yate, knowing that not all doors will open but that some will need to be pushed.
My time here has brought me so much joy and it is with some sadness that I leave behind my friends and church family and in particular the young people from Rooted and Rooted+ who continue to be an inspiration to me. Treasure them, learn from them and encourage them in their faith.
I leave you with this blessing:
Deep peace of the running wave to you. Deep peace of the flowing air to you. Deep peace of the quiet earth to you. Deep peace of the shining stars to you. Deep peace of the gentle night to you. Moon and stars pour their healing light on you. Deep peace of Christ, of Christ the light of the world to you. Deep peace of Christ to you.
Wanted - Church Safeguarding Officers
We are looking to appoint additional Church Safeguarding Officers to assist Beverley Hodgson, Parish Safeguarding Officer, in implementing good safeguarding practice across the Parish of Yate. Working as a team to provide mutual support, this varied role is an important part of church life.
With the PSO, the Church Safeguarding Officers are accountable to the PCC and the Incumbent.
The appointments will be made following the Parish safer recruitment process.
If you are interested or would like further information, please contact Beverley on 01454 329177 or yateparishsafeguarding@gmail.com
Restoring Parish life
A small group of Wardens and Ministry Team members have been meeting over the past few weeks to plan for our return to a more normal Parish life post-pandemic. We are unanimous in agreeing that we should take small steps to allow people’s confidence to be restored, and that wherever possible we should stick with what is familiar. However, there is no denying that the Covid pandemic has changed the landscape in which we are working and that some things will never be the same again. We thought it might be helpful for you to have an insight into the plans as they currently stand.
* We feel it is right to continue to live-stream one of our main services on Sunday morning, but that this should rotate between churches to allow those watching to connect with their usual congregation over time. However, this means that we need to align the start times and the logical change is to move the 10.45am service at St. Mary’s to a 10.30am start time.
* We will continue with live-streaming Morning Prayer on Facebook at 7.30am. This has proved immensely popular. However, the Ministry Team will also meet face-to-face for prayer on Monday and Wednesday mornings.
* Smaller mid-week services may be important for those who don’t yet have the confidence to return to the larger Sunday services. For this reason, we will hold a short communion service at St. James Church at 9.30am on Wednesday morning (immediately before the coffee morning) and will hold a communion service at St. Mary’s at 10am on Thursdays, with an opportunity to stay for tea and coffee afterwards.
* The change in start time for the Sunday morning service at St. Mary’s has implications for family worship. We have resisted the idea of changing the time of the 8.15am Communion and instead have decided to bring together the Sunburst service and the 10.45am service into a single, inter-generational service starting at 10.30am. However, the creativity of Sunburst will not be lost for after the gathering and opening prayers we will adopt the “Explore Together” approach used by Sunburst and allow those who want a more creative and interactive service to move across to the Youth Centre for the “Sunburst” element of the service, while those wanting a more formal and reflective service will stay in church for traditional readings, sermon and intercessions. Every one will gather again for coffee at the end.
* This, in turn, has a knock-on effect for baptisms. We will lose the opportunity for baptisms at Sunburst so reducing our capacity to four families per month in the parish at a time when we have a significant backlog. For that reason, we have decided to hold the majority of baptisms from September onwards at 12.30pm, outside the main Sunday services, but on the understanding that the baptism family are welcomed into a regular service before the baptism and return after the baptism for the ‘liturgical welcome’ when they will also receive the baptism certificate and candle.
* We hope to be able to resume providing tea and coffee after the services shortly. Initially we will be encouraging people to bring their own mug and will have special arrangements for serving to ensure that social distancing continues.
* The current advice from the Royal School of Church Music is that we should be able to resume singing after 21 June but we are still awaiting formal guidance. Our aim is to resume singing as soon as we are permitted to and are sure that it will be safe to do so.
* Plans are already in process to restart the Wednesday Craft Group at St. Mary’s, the Monday Lunch Club at St. Nix and the Wednesday coffee morning at St James. Discussions are also underway about Lunch at One.
Our expectation is that things will progress gradually through the summer months and that this will largely be a time of recovery with the renewing of friendships and relationships. It may not be until September that the normal rhythm of Parish life picks up again and we are able to welcome everyone once again to the larger festival services and social events that are a hallmark of our life as a community.
Ian Wallace
Goodbye to Andy and Beth Bird
Andy and Beth are students from Trinity College, Bristol. Andy started a placement with Yate parish in September 2019 and was joined by Beth in September 2020 after they got married. During lockdown they have been regular worshippers at St Mary’s and have honed their skills in preaching and leading worship. They finished their time with us at the end of May and will be moving up north shortly.
Here are some questions that they have answered for us:
How did you first meet each other?
Andy: I was an intern at Beth’s home church in Bolton. At the time I didn’t have a house and Beth’s family offered to take me in. I stayed there for a couple of years whilst doing my degree and finishing my internship at church. As I was moving out I asked her if she wanted to be my girlfriend, and the rest is history.
How did you come to faith?
Andy – I feel that I have always been a Christian and known God as I was aware that God ‘rescued’ me from China when I was adopted as a baby. Since then I have always been open to the one who saved me and have always been aware of his presence in my life.
Beth – I also feel as though I have always been a Christian. My parents always took me to church as a child, but I made the decision for myself when I was six years old. Later I began to take my faith more seriously after attending a Christian festival called ‘Soul Survivor’ when I was 13.
How did you sense God’s call to ministry?
Andy – When I was younger I was inspired by my mum, who is a doctor, so I started training to be a paramedic at Plymouth university. However, after the first year when I got a good sense of what my life would look like as a paramedic, I thought that this wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So, I quit the course and moved up to Bolton to do a New Wine internship at Beth’s home church. After a few months I knew I wanted to work in church, but wasn’t exactly sure what that would look like. After the second year in Bolton I started the journey to become a priest.
Beth – I had been considering ordained ministry for a while as I love being in church and was something I felt very drawn to. About a year ago I prayed about it and asked God to reveal to me whether or not I should go for it; a week later my friend messaged me expressing that she felt ordained ministry was something God is calling me to and that she felt God prompt her to tell me. After that and a few other confirmations from other people I got in touch with Manchester diocese and have been exploring it ever since.
What has your time at Trinity been like?
Andy & Beth – We have really enjoyed our time in Bristol and have loved Trinity College. Unfortunately, the majority of our time has been under restrictions due to the pandemic, but we have still managed to make great friends and have made the most of it. Trinity lectures and lunches are definitely a highlight and staying in halls in the first year was great as well!
What have you learned from your placement in Yate
parish?
Andy – I have learnt a lot from Ian about leadership in our tutorials talking about the Church, ministry and mission. I have also been able to grow in preaching and leading which has given me a good foundation for curacy.
Beth – Having come from a less traditional background, it has been great for us both to worship in a different style than we are used to. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to preach and lead, this has helped me to grow in confidence and has made me excited for the future.
Tell us about where you are going next, what kind of church it is and where you will be living. What will Beth be doing?
Andy – We are moving to Chorlton, south Manchester to be part of St. Werburgh’s church which is a New Wine resource church. We will be expected to plant more churches out of this church in the future.
Beth – I will, hopefully, be starting my masters and ordination training at Emmanuel College in Liverpool, alongside a
placement at St. Werburgh’s.
How can we pray for you in this next few weeks?
Andy & Beth – Andy still has his dissertation to write as he prepares for his curacy and we would love prayer for the
transition back north to go smoothly.
Pilgrimage walk to Tintern Abbey
Lockdown has been a challenge for everyone over the last year or so. Sometimes it has felt like walking through a long tunnel with no light at the end. The pilgrim group in north Yate have been going on reflective walks for a while, using the environment as a way into prayer. To celebrate the end of lockdown we are planning a reflective pilgrimage on Saturday 12 June.
Recently the Wye Valley Greenway cycle path from Chepstow to Tintern Abbey was opened. The path goes through an old railway tunnel which is lit inside. This is a fantastic symbol of lockdown: a long tunnel with lights to guide you as you walk. Eventually you turn a corner and the light shines in. The cycle path is flat and ends three miles later at Tintern Abbey.
To celebrate the ending of Lockdown, we invite you to join us in walking this path and thinking about how God has guided us all through this time, and pray for us to become better in the future. Hywel has scouted the walk and proposes three options:
1: Shorter walk (4.5 miles) from the tunnel to Tintern Abbey. Flat terrain and easy paths. (Sharing cars to return to starting point)
2: Longer walk (9 miles) from the tunnel to Tintern Abbey and back to the start. Steepish climb to Devil’s Pulpit, and medium paths. Hywel took his 72-year-old dad with him on the return trip.
3: Join us for a picnic lunch at Tintern Abbey
Timetable, Saturday 12th June:
Meet at St Mary’s car park at 9am 12th June.
Start walk 10am
Arrive at Tintern at 12ish
(1 hour for picnic lunch)
End of long walk around 3.30
Everyone is welcome to come on any of the walks. Email hywel@yateparish.org.uk or ring 07539069811 to book and for more information.
Zoom Coffee Morning
All Welcome—Wednesdays at 10am
Get yourself a cup of coffee and join us at 10 every Wednesday morning.
The zoom link is the same every week (bookmark it):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85661948674?pwd=ZWVJREdpdFNlb2pNN1NTTzJTQVU5Zz09
Meeting ID: 856 6194 8674 Passcode: 072078
All creatures great and small
Pet Service at St James'
Westerleigh
27th June at 10.30am
Bring your pets to church for a blessing; dogs, cats and even sheep have come before.
Let's celebrate our wonderful pets and give thanks to God for all that they mean to us.
Westerleigh Village Breakfasts
The Friends of St James will again be offering an opportunity to enjoy breakfast in the company of old friends and new in church, on
Saturday 10 July (as well as 14 August and 11 September) any time between 9am and 11am, followed by an optional guided walk.
Full English or lighter options freshly cooked to order. Table service and open doors ensure continued precautions even after the end of lockdown.
No booking required.
We look forward to welcoming you back.
Services throughout the Parish
Sunday 6 June
Trinity 1—Green
Genesis 3:8-15 2 Corinthians 4:13-15.1 Mark 3:20-35
St Mary
8.15am Communion
10.00am Communion
6.30pm 630Praise—follow link on website
St Nix
10.30am Communion - live stream
St James
10.30am Communion
St Peter
6.30pm Evening Worship
(Book of Common Prayer)
*** St Mary’s Service begins at 10.30am from 13 June
Sunday 13 June
Trinity 2—Green
Ezekiel 17:22-24 2 Corinthians 5:6-10(11-13)14-17 Mark 4:26-34
St Mary
8.15am Communion
*** 10.30am Communion - live stream
6.30pm 630Praise—follow link on website
St Nix
10.00am Morning Worship
St James
10.30am Morning Worship
St Peter
6.30pm Communion
(Book of Common Prayer)
Sunday 20 June
Trinity 3—Green
Job 38:1-11 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41
St Mary
8.15am Communion
10.30am Morning Worship - live stream
6.30pm 630Praise—follow link on website
St Nix
10.30am Communion
St James
10.30am Communion
St Peter
6.30pm Evening Worship
(Book of Common Prayer)
Sunday 27 June
Trinity 4—Green
Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15;2:23-24 2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Mark 5:21-43 (Lamentations 3:22-33 may be read as the first reading in place of Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24)
St Mary
8.15am Communion
10.30am Communion - live stream
6.30pm 630Praise—follow link on website
St Nix
10.30am Morning Worship
St James
10.30am Morning Worship
St Peter
6.30pm Communion
(Book of Common Prayer)
Morning prayer in Yate Parish
Do you find prayer a little difficult? Would you like some inspiration? Go to the Yate Parish Facebook page to join in Morning Prayer led by our ministry team. You can watch live at 7.30am Monday to Saturday, or watch at any time later in the day. Many people have found it a great start to their day.
Compline @8pm
Before the lockdown happened, we had recorded the saying of Compline. We ask that each evening at 8pm we light a candle in our window and pray together for our nation using the words of the Compline service - it takes just over 5 minutes.
Visit the parish website and click on the recordings to listen; you will find the words of the service there too.
DailyHope phone line
DailyHope, a free national telephone line, offers music, prayers and reflections as well as full worship services from the Church of England at the end of the phone. A Church of England initiative in partnership with CONNECTIONS at Holy Trinity Claygate, and Faith in Later Life. The line – which is available 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044 – has been set up particularly with those unable to join online church services during the period of restrictions in mind; to provide comfort and spiritual nourishment to the most isolated in our society.
