March 2024 — Updates and upcoming
As ever, we are excited to see God at work at St Peter’s! He is the reason for all our efforts - to worship Him, grow in community with His people, and give as many people as possible the chance to hear His good news, and respond by following Him themselves.
Here are some of the highlights of life at St Peter’s recently:
Gates: we’ve had the front gates sandblasted, primed, and repainted, and they’re looking GREAT! We want to look after the history of St Peter’s, and welcome as many people as possible through them in the months to come! Combined with the garden tidying that happened recently, the church is more visible from the road and welcoming on approach.
Messy Church: at our last session, there were more children present than there have been at any Messy Church since Covid. Kids and their families were overflowing out of the parish room when it came to food! We’re so thankful to everyone who served on team to make it happen!
Apostles’ Artwork: we received a grant and a generous gift from a member of the congregation to have the artwork panels of the Apostles on the curved East wall at church inspected by an expert. This is happening soon and will give us a condition report, outlining if we could have them cleaned from years of candle soot, to be even brighter and more beautiful, inspiring us to worship with all the saints!
Worship: we hosted the welcoming and licensing service for the new Area Dean of Bury and Rossendale, Rev’d Canon Donna Williams. Guests from across the deanery, as well as local dignitaries and our own congregation gathered, and many were touched by the presence of God during the service, and the warmth of the welcome and community they encountered here. We’ve seen new faces on Sundays most weeks recently too - God is at work!
Grants: we received a grant from the Diocese towards mission and revitalising churches, which has gone towards ongoing ministry, and replacement noticeboards for Manchester Road (coming soon!). We’re looking into other grants and sources of funding, to help progress with other projects too, whilst keeping on top of the maintenance the building needs. If you’d like to help with that, come along to Church Cleaning (3rd Wednesday of the month, 6pm onwards), or get in touch.
Courses: Jason has been running Alpha at Cosalea Cafe on Walshaw Road, to help with the revitalising work at St James’ Woolfold which we’re enabling. There have been great conversations, and community strengthened through it. We’ve also hosted our first Bereavement Journey, with 5 guests and 5 team helping each other through the depths of grief. It’s been an honest and helpful space, and God’s comfort and kindness has been evident throughout.
And here are a few things to look forward to soon!
+Matthew visit: as well as coming to our first Lent Group session in February, we’re delighted to have Bishop Matthew with us at both gatherings on Sunday 3rd March. He’ll be preaching and leading communion, and sharing his heart for this area and what our part might be. A Sunday not to miss!
Communication: we want to enhance our communication, getting the right info to the right people in the right ways! This newsletter is a big part of that, facilitated by Churchsuite (thanks to everyone who’s signed up!), and we hope the benefits are quickly apparent!
Holy Week and Easter: whole school visits, Experience Easter, Lent Group, and much more will get us ready to journey to the cross, and delight at the empty tomb. Check our calendar for all the info about Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worship, as well as the Walk of Witness with other churches in Bury.
Groups: we’re excited to launch groups, midweek communities in homes and online dedicated to learning how to follow Jesus more closely in every area of life. There’ll be looking back at what was covered on the previous Sunday, and giving space for discussion and application in our real lives, all while growing in friendship. Find your group, and sign up!
As ever, please get in touch with any questions or if you’d like to know more about anything. And please pray that God works through all of this, and many encounter Him in and through St Peter’s!
Simon