breadbreaker

Green Disciples

2008-06-25T11:02:00.003+01:00

The painting by Matt Philleo of The Temptation of Jesus is one I find very challenging. There is Jesus, removed from the city of Jerusalem on its outskirts, agonising before God about his future, the direction of his life set amongst significant dangers and threats. In this painting the onlookers do not know the outcome of this agonising and do not know what Jesus chooses.

As church, St. Mark's United Reformed Church, we recently committed ourselves to Green Discipleship - doing all we can to to care for God's creation locally and globally. This is no light prayer or promise before God. It means our church community continues to take small and large steps in reducing our impact on the world. Here are some of the steps we have taken & are planning for:

Hippos/water-savers in the back of every toilet - saving water & money with each flush!
Long-life energy-saving light bulbs around the building
Using canvas bags instead of plastic But reusing plastic ones if we have them
Recycling ink cartridges
Hosting the Tree of Life Centre furniture reuse shop
Reusing wool donations to knit & crotchet prayer shawls & prayer blankets
Replacing doors so the building is draft-free!
Replacing windows as appropriate - ditto above
Exploring cavity wall insulation for the building

Fundraising for Christian Aid

2008-06-15T22:30:00.002+01:00

Congratulations to Melanie Lloyd who has raised £200.58p in support of Christian Aid by completing a sponsored walk with others in Wythenshawe recently. The monies will go to where they are needed - likely to Myanmar and/or China. Thankyou to all of you who have been so generous in your sponsorship too!

messychurch June theme: Joseph - the dreamer

2008-06-13T10:41:00.004+01:00

Here are some of our new messychurch friends! Amongst last months newcomers is a family already attached to the church through their wedding and two baptisms. We pray for the Moffett family who are preparing for their third child's baptism at St. Marks United Reformed Church next month on Sunday 20th July 11am-12noon and look forward to welcoming their family and friends. Hope to see you all soon at messychurch June 28th!

We'll be giving out what we made last month and our theme for June is 'Joseph - the dreamer' all about a young man in the Bible called Joseph who had a very large family with lots of ups and downs.

2008-06-07T19:37:00.002+01:00

What is the mission?
Is it called mission when talking about God and church?
Is the final goal of mission is to convert other’s religion?
Mission is the sharing of the life
Sharing the idea about life is the gift from God
Sharing the thought about life is creative
Sharing the attitude that life can be changed

Mission is giving
Giving love and concern
Mission is not for establishing the bigger church
Mission is not for getting more and more church members
Mission is standing with people, and showing signs of hope
Joy with them
Sorrow with them
Laughter with them
Crying with them
Is there any policy or method for mission?
Yes, there is an approach
It is love.

Written by Lin Yi-Chuan, a Taiwanese young woman from Pindung, Southern Taiwan when part of a 3-month mission placement in Wythenshawe with St. Mark's United Reformed Church and the Tree of Life Centre as a volunteer. In the photograph Yi-Chuan is the woman on the farthest right. I was recently able to learn more from her about the church and community her and her husband work amongst in Pindung.

Right to your computer!

2008-05-21T17:38:00.003+01:00

Finding relevant and real-life ways of connecting with the bible are important. I use a computer a lot and have my bible loaded onto a computer. Another colleague I know has his loaded onto a palm pilot so he has it easily to hand along with his phone and diary so it is mixed in with everyday life not kept separate for Sundays or special occasion reading!

By clicking on the title above 'Right to your computer' you'll be taken to Christ Notes...

Christ Notes are something you can sign up to for free and get daily or weekly chunks of the bible emailed directly to your computer in a translation of your choosing. They have a good selection from Living, New Revised, King James, Revised and more...I think it's an ordinary, practical way of weaving in bible with life and helpful for those who are into making use of 21st century technology as a tool for God in a good way.

At St. Mark's United Reformed Church including messychurch we are finding different ways to get with God's stories and stories of God's people in the bible as well as in our world locally & globally. We re-present and take part in storytelling together but it is still not something we all find easy or regularly do outside of worship gatherings on Saturdays and Sundays.

It is one of my great passions and priorities to find many and varied ways of getting with the Bible through reading, listening, remembering, re-telling, dramatising, taking part, and sharing together and separately. There are lots of questions we have about the Bible as ordinary people making church together in Wythenshawe - how was the bible put together, what didn't make it into the bible, why did some people choose certain books over others, who decided the books of the bible went in what order, why are there so many versions of the bible in English not just one we all have in common? And LOTS more!

Hopefully Vision4Life (the United Reformed Churches process of renewal and regeneration of church in the UK) will enable us to make more opportunities to explore these together and see how they make a difference to how we live, how we worship and work as a church in Wythenshawe and grow Christ's church here.

Update on St. Marks Food Project

2008-05-20T17:23:00.003+01:00

Tom, Phil, Betty & myself and some children have been working hard at the joint allotment between Go Create (Wythenshawe Community Initiative) and St. Marks United Reformed Church Food & Allotment Project.

We have harvested some of the first rhubarb crop and shared it out incuding with Tree of Life Centre community cafe who will use it for yummy puddings!

We've also planted yellow & green courgettes, lettuce, potatoes and spring onions which seem to be settling in and growing nicely. We hope the slugs don't enjoy them too much! Tom also made up a hanging basket for cherry tomatoes which he loves!

Also at the allotments were Parklands High School who helped pick and share the rhubarb too and have taken some home to cook with their families!

There are lots of weeds but in amongst them are 4 strawberry plants surviving and even some gooseberries and blackcurrents...we'll see what comes from them later in the year.

When we cut back the weeds we were aching but it was great to meet with allotment-holders from around Woodhouse Park who are growing different things - Portugese cabbage! We're from different countries around the world and sharing knowledge about what grows well here. It is a great way to meet people, enjoy the sunshine and work together to make a difference here...highly recommended as a conversation starter!

The Spirit of Life!

2008-05-11T14:58:00.004+01:00

'We believe in life before death'

It's the strapline of registered UK charity Christian Aid. 11th-17th May 2008 is Christian Aid Week in the UK and the people of Wythenshawe have been generous in their efforts so far. Through a civic centre bucket collection a couple of days ago a small team of volunteers raised over £636 from the general public in a day! Wonderful! It is much needed at this time with spiraling violence in Zimbabwe and aid supplies needed for Burma after the devastating cyclone last week.

Thankyou all for your Spirit of Life this Pentecost. Goodness is stronger than evil, love is stronger than hate. It is clear that the people of Wythenshawe believe in life before death for themselves and for the peoples of the world and that is a great spirit of solidarity and generosity at work amongst us; the Holy Spirit who is God.

If you have not been able to make a donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee then just click on the Spirit of Life title which will take you to the Christian Aid website where you can make an online donation to go to support those most in need at this time. Please be as generous as you are able.

Concern at Zimbabwe violence

2008-05-06T10:02:00.003+01:00

St. Marks United Reformed Church has a big vision - a world of peace with justice through peace-building locally and internationally. Some of us have signed petitions and sent postcards and letters during the last month regarding the situation in Zimbabwe and in support and solidarity with them in their political elections, locally and nationally.

In our recent local elections in the UK we experienced calm and order in voting, counting and publishing the results. Please pray for Zimbabwe's people including the government and the opposition who have been voted in. May there be an end to violence and a transition to a new government of the people as the voters have chosen. Please share this joint statement from both the United Reformed and Methodist Churches:

The Methodist and United Reformed Churches have together voiced their concern about increasing levels of violence and political intimidation, linked to the delay in announcing the result of Zimbabwe’s presidential election.

Commenting on the precarious situation, the Revd Dr Stephen Orchard, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, said: ‘The Zimbabwe Election Commission owes it to the long-suffering people of Zimbabwe to announce the presidential result without further delay, to enable people to begin the urgent task of rebuilding their shattered lives and economy. We condemn the campaign of violence and intimidation that has been embarked upon by members of the ruling party, following the announcement of the parliamentary election results. We also believe that people who hold power in any country have a first duty to care for the poor and vulnerable rather than for themselves’.

Reflecting on the escalating humanitarian crisis, the General Secretary of the Methodist Church, the Revd David Deeks, said ‘The impact on the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans has been immense. The people of Zimbabwe appear to have voted for change and the leaders of Southern African states bear a huge responsibility to ensure that the will of the people is respected. If that doesn’t happen, the crisis in Zimbabwe could have an increasingly devastating impact on the entire region’.

The two churches expressed their solidarity and support in prayer and action with their partner churches and agencies in Zimbabwe and pledged to continue working together to achieve peace, justice and prosperity there. They illustrated the plight of Zimbabweans with statistics, including:

INFLATION In 1987 inflation averaged 11.9 percent. It surged to an official record of 100,586 percent in January 2008, but economic experts say the real rate is much higher.

LIFE EXPECTANCY Average life expectancy dropped from 63 years in 1990 to 37.3 years in 2005, according to World Bank and U.N. figures.

UNEMPLOYMENT Estimated at about 80% of the working population.

To donate towards Christian Aids emergency fund for Zimbabwe click

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/stoppoverty/powercorruption/zimbabwe/zimbabwe_elections.aspx

Please use this or Christian Aid information, particularly during the coming Christian Aid Week 2008 to highlight the situation in Zimbabwe and give generously if you are able.

Baptism Celebration

2008-04-20T15:08:00.003+01:00

Congratulations to Allana Page who was baptised at St. Mark's United Reformed Church on Sunday 20th April! There's a new beginning for Allana and her family as they continue to settle into life in Woodhouse Park and are now part of a worldwide family - the church. At St. Mark's we believe in sharing life together and making a difference in the communities we're part of by expressing our Christian faith in relevant ways. At baptism we mark the beginning of the journey of sharing our faith in Jesus Christ with Allana and we're looking forward to learning from her about what matters to her and her family too.

Many thanks to all her family and friends who are supporting her with love and prayers and by example so that she will come to make her own Confirmation of Christian faith. Blessings to all 8 of Allana's Godparents who travelled from across the UK to be with her on her unique and special occasion. It was lovely to have so many people sign Allana's giant canvas Baptism Card - a new tradition at St. Marks for all our baptisms - it's now filled with blessings, hopes, prayers and names of many who were at the celebration.

We look forward to welcoming guests and family and friends with Allana when you are in the area again in the future and to seeing Allana and Ben again at the monthly messychurch soon.

Street Pastors in Wythenshawe in 2009?

2008-04-19T12:29:00.002+01:00

Churches Together in Wythenshawe are looking for Christian people to become Street Pastors in Wythensawe in 2009 and commit to it in 2008! Street Pastors is the church in action on the streets. It is an inter-denominational Church response to urban problems, engaging with people on the streets to care, listen and dialogue. It was pioneered in London in January 2003 by Rev Les Isaac, Director of the Ascension Trust, and has seen some remarkable results, including drops in crime in areas where teams have been working.There will also be a Church Leaders event with Rev Les Issac in Oct 08 in Manchester, at a central venue, to learn more about Street Pastors.

A team of at least 15 people is being gathered together of Christians in Wytheshawe to begin training on 15th February 2009 and every 3rd Saturday of each month (except August 09) for 1 year. Street Pastors commit to going out on the streets in trained teams for one night a month in agreed areas.

Currently there are 39 Street Pastors in training in Manchester, including two Christians from Wythenshawe Churches, who will join new teams already established in Moss Side, Longsight and Gorton. There are also two new teams who are launching in North Manchester in May next month.

If you would like to know more about this exciting venture then visit http://www.streetpastors.co.uk/ or contact Revd Kate Gray at St. Mark's United Reformed Church in Wythenshawe.

Emmaus!

2008-03-28T17:26:00.003Z

An exciting 5-session exploration of Jesus especially for the non-religious!
Mondays 7-8.30pm
Forum Library, Room A (just off the main entrance)
starts THIS Mon 31st March &
April 7, 14, 21, 28 at Forum Library, Room A
May 5 at William Temple Parish Church
Chat, ponder, explore in a relaxed & informal way
Refreshments & resources shared at each gathering.

The Canvas Christ on Kingsgate Road

2008-03-26T12:29:00.004Z

There are some things happening on a particular road near our church building that are very strange. The road is called Kingsgate and its name reminds me of Jesus entry into Jerusalem and how he was received. Last week a young man ran around the square with a knife in one hand and a hammer in the other screaming at the top of his voice. He scared people. Maybe he was also scared; I don't know. I thought about the young man and I thought about Wythenshawe being like Jerusalem - with some people who felt threatened preparing to get Jesus and end his life. It made me think about this young man...who is he and why did he do that? It is an unfinished story.

Also last week Jesus (and other people from the Holy Week/Easter story) were seen in a vision of a giant canvas caught high up on a telegraph pole on that same road - in this video Marion, a church member and leader at St. Marks United Reformed Church, speaks about what she saw and then felt compelled to paint. These events happened in Holy Week and have affected several members of our community and church.

Please continue to pray for the well-being of all young people in Woodhouse Park, especially those on Kingsgate Road and the adults who live with them; that they will know themselves loved by God and by our church and local residents who may fear them and are finding it hard to love them. Pray for our church communities who find it difficult to know how to respond with grace and peace and hope in actions and make Easter real in Woodhouse Park beyond the walls of the church building where people meet, act up, paint, scare, threaten, fear, live.

Happy Easter from all at St. Marks United Reformed Church and messychurch!

2008-03-23T21:19:00.002Z

The Big Hope!
Easter Hope!

Easter Celebration Prayer:
Celebrate - death's not the end
Jesus Christ - alive today
Celebrate - death's overcome
Jesus Christ brings us to life!
Celebrate! Hope abounds
Jesus Christ defies the powers
Celebrate! The tree of death...
Jesus Christ makes tree of life
Celebrate! Dance and sing!
Jesus Christ is life for all
Celebrate - peace and shalom
Jesus Christ: abundant life
Celebrate God's reign is here
Jesus Christ brings hope in death
Celebrate all the earth
Jesus Christ bursts free from death
Celebrate - here and always
Jesus Christ brings hope on earth
Halleluiah! Halleluiah! Halleliuah!

Prayer to a Crucified God from the community of St. Marks United Reformed Church, Wythenshawe

2008-03-22T15:29:00.003Z

Crucified God,
we offer our questions as prayers to you
were you powerless or powerful on your cross?
did you want to do violence to those who did it to you?
were you shamed with your torturers in mind?
did you choose the cross or did your murderers?
what did you feel when you saw your family there?
was there any other way of salvation?
does your blood mean life for us?
did you live and die for me?
what stories can we tell about your death?
has the whole cosmos changed because of you?
how does your death change our lives?
why on earth did you go through all that?
how can we live and die because of your cross?

Now hoping, and waiting, and wondering...for the Easter amongst us all on earth...

More from Wythenshawe

2008-03-21T21:56:00.004Z

Last night about 55 people gathered from around Wythenshawe to eat a special meal together marking Jesus last meal with his disciples. We'd prepared lamb casserole, stew and hotpot as well as fairtrade dates, apricots, red grape juice, flat bread, homemade bread & pitta bread! There was lots of food to share, it was relaxed and informal as we made new friends and more and more people kept arriving we added more tables and food! We shared in breaking bread together as followers of Jesus, as regulars in church and regulars in relationship with Jesus in community. We want to do it again...soon and not wait another year!

Yesterday the church building got a new life - the razor wire was taken down from most of the building and stored safely away. I looked at it & it reminded me of a razor crown of thorns. It has not stopped our young friends going on the roof more recently so we decided to take it down this Holy Week and just see if it is a sign that God is on the loose in the lives of the teenagers who are hanging around! Many of us think it could be...just as God seems to be moving in Kingsgate Road closeby - there are all sorts of amazing things happening with people there - and interestingly about 8 households of followers of Jesus...and counting! Watch that space!

Today several hundred followers of Jesus met and walked to civic centre in Wythenshawe through the market and we sang, danced and shared in the story of Jesus last moments of Jesus life and in his death on the cross by crucifixion. It was really rooted in Wythenshawe with stories of debt, money lenders and loans as well as stories of love and hope and forgiveness bringing new life.

Sometimes in our Wythenshawe we feel as if we are 'outside the city walls' of Manchester out on a limb in this garden city. There is still sometimes almost unspeakable violence done to people here I have met who live with so much from the past that burdens and weighs down. Today there were lots of amazing conversations going on around civic and on the walking around Wythenshawe with the cross that I cannot but see God here - in the midst of some of the violence, despair and filth of peoples lives. I hope that is not paternalism or tokenism but for me God is on the loose and the churches here can hardly keep up with the scandal of the cross stories and the explosions of life which are going on all around us.

I am not sure if Jesus is in the tomb. God is walking the streets in spite of us marking Good Friday.

And tomorrow - messychurch! Pray for us if you have an inkling of the dying-living GodOne amongst us all...god bless.

Prayer for Thursday

2008-03-20T09:43:00.003Z

Last evening about 40 people of all ages from primary school to teens to older adults gathered to share in the Easter Hope concert with the fantastic choir from Chelwood Baptist Church about Mary Magdalene! Thanks to the Tree of Life for the great chocolate cakes, in the spirit of feasting & celebration of Easter, which had mash potato in! Delicious!

Today we remember Jesus last meal with his friends and followers. It may help you for this prayer if you can read from the Bible book called John chapter 13 verses 1-17 and 31-35.

People of the Table:

God of our ancestors,

We gather as Christians to hear about Passover

We gather as Christians to share in Jesus' last meal

We bring our fears as the disciples did

We bring our confusion as the disciples did

God of Jew and Christian

Bring new eyes to see this meal we share

Bring new life as we gather around this table to share

God of the Lamb and the Table

We gather as followers of Jesus

We gather as friends of Jews

We bring our questions to this meal

We bring our doubts to this meal

God of Jew and CHristian

Bring new relationships from this meal we share

Bring new life as we meet faith with faith around this table.

Amen

Prayer for Wednesday of Holy Week

2008-03-19T13:38:00.002Z

This photo is from our indoor Wythenshawe Garden of Gethsemane which we made and prayed together in last night (Tues) with soil, water, music, bible readings, sand, silence, Jesus. It was very powerful for us as we were together in prayer and imagination with Jesus. Some washed feet or hands, others played with soil or sand, some looked at the different images of Jesus from the previous evening, some prayed on our knees, some lay face down in front of the baptismal font or communion table. Many of us were moved to tears as we agonised with Jesus as his disciples in the Wythenshawe Garden of Gethsemane. Some wrote letters to Jesus of our time with him there. Perhaps I will post them later...

We wanted to stay with Jesus in the garden and not to desert him as his disciples likely did...

Today's prayer: People of Faithfulness

God, bearer of betrayal

Pray in us your prayer of faithfulness

That we may practice our discipleship with fidelity.

God, bearer of betrayal

Pray in us your prayer of devotion

That we may pracice our relationships with love.

God, bearer of betrayal

Pray in us your prayer of healing

That we may practice our faith with shalom.

Where people are troubled in spirit

Where people are being betrayed

Where people are pulled away from relationship with you

Enable us to practice faithfulness.

Where people are living in broken relationship

Where people are betraying the Gospel entrusted to them

Where people are attracted by a short-term fix

Enable us to practice faithfulness.

Where peope are bearing more than seems possible

Where people are living with troubling secrets

Where people are offered no other ways

Enable us to practice faithfulness;

in relationship to you, each other, the earth.

Amen

You may also find it helpful to read from the Bible, in the New Testament book called John, chapter 13 from verse 13 to 32 to relate this prayer. This is where it is connected to in the bible.

Prayer for Tuesday

2008-03-18T13:55:00.002Z

Read from the Bible, New Testament book John 12:20-36
Prayer on becoming people of transformation:

God of seeds and soil,
In their story we see life and death meet and change.
God of life and death,
In the stories of our communities there is life and death
In the stories of our public and private lives there is life and death
In the stories of our churches there is life and death
God in Jesus,
We look towards your story of life and death this week;
towards the way you faced life and death
towards the responses of others in planning your death
towards the responses of others in confusion about your death
towards your stories of seeds and soil, following and service.
God in Jesus
You are our God of life and death.
You are our God in life and death.
Today we look to you and to those around you in your life.
We will try and be with you in your life,
Be with us in ours.
We will try and be with you in your death,
Be with us in ours.

(The painting is 'Fruitful' by Cornelis Monsma)

Prayer for Today

2008-03-17T12:30:00.005Z

Prayer for today related to John 12:1-11 for your use.

To explore more about Jesus this Easter week visit http://www.rejesus.co.uk/

God of Mary, Martha and Lazarus,

In their story we see Jesus share in sensuality and the stench of death

Give us courage to face death and seek to transform it.

God of the Jews of John's Gospel,

In their story we see people plan to exterminate Lazarus and Jesus

Give us courage to enter the death-defying story of Jesus.

God of Mary, Martha and Lazarus,

In their story we see people offer extravagant welcome

Give us courage to create communities of difference without death

God of the Jews of John's Gospel,

In their story we see Jesus as dangerous and attractive

Give us courage to invite others into the death-defying life of Jesus

in this Holy Week.

Amen

Read from the Bible in the New Testament from the book of John chapter 12 verses 1 to 11, listen in silence with God in the world around and within you. See what happens and what prayer is prayed in you. The prayer above emerged out of our community's weekly renewal of faith gathering of 8 adults who are part of St. Marks United Reformed Church in Wythenshawe, Manchester where we hear the bible, stories of our lives, mixed up with mediated news and we imagine, pray, talk, listen together to each other and God. This and all the subsequent prayers that will be shared here daily this Holy Week came out of my response to being together in community.

Please feel free to use this prayer in your life/gathering this week before Easter.

This prayer is also printed in A Chair Pulled to the Place of Prayer, Prayer Handbook 2008, granary ISBN 0-85346-263-1. Written by Kate Gray. I don't know who painted the painting of Lazarus raised to life a black Christ in community with Mary & Martha looking on but I find it provokes me to imagine a scene for myself in relation to John 12

Easter events & The Passion on BBC1

2008-03-12T16:56:00.006Z

On Sat 22nd March 10am-12noon is our 3rd messychurch gathering when we plan to make a giant life-sized easter garden and do a giant HOPE painting project to share with our community, passers-by and Sunday congregation. In the run-up to messychurch St. Mark's is offering lots of different early evening events for 4 & overs including adults, parents, grandparents with paintings to look at, an indoor garden to pray in (manchester weather so we need to be indoors!) and a joint meal and special service with Baptist and Anglican friends from different local churches on Maundy Thursday; the Thursday before Easter.

If you are not gathering as church at St. Marks then get together with friends & neighbours to watch The Passion on BBC 1 on 4 times: THIS Sunday 16th March 8-9pm, Monday 17th March 8.30-9pm, (Good) Friday 21st March 9-9.30pm and Easter Sunday for 1hour time to be confirmed. Check back later.

see the official website for The Passion & how you can connect further with it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/thepassion/

Below is part of a BBC press release which is fantastic for use in church THIS Sunday for Palm or Passion Services of worship.

It's the start of Passover week. In the next few days Jerusalem will more than double in size as thousands of pilgrims come to celebrate the most important festival in their religious calendar.

For their Roman masters, it is the tensest time of the year. Palestine is an unruly province at the best of times, prone to insurgency and driven by an ancient religion that the Romans neither understand nor appreciate.

Indeed, for most of the year the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate, and his force of 3,000 legionaries base themselves by the sea in the city of Caesarea, where they can enjoy the pleasures of civilisation well away from the perils of Jerusalem's narrow streets.

But for the festivals, and particularly for Passover with its undertones of resistance to imperial power, they move back into the capital city and prepare for trouble.

For the High Priest Caiaphas and his Temple priests too, Passover is not an easy time. The Temple in Jerusalem is the epicentre of the Jewish religion, and during Passover their workload will be immense – on one day alone, some 10,000 lambs will have to be ritually sacrificed in the Temple in the space of a few hours to ensure that every family has its lamb for the Passover meal.

And there is pressure on Caiaphas in other ways. As High Priest, civil unrest is also his responsibility. His Temple guards are the local police force, and it is their job to keep order amongst the civilian population.

Any trouble and the Romans will swiftly move in. And everyone knows what that means.

As Pilate and his wife move rather reluctantly back into their Jerusalem apartments, and Caiaphas and his colleagues review known troublemakers and insurgents who might be on their way to the city, no-one gives much thought to a local preacher from the backwaters of Galilee, who is also making his way to Jerusalem with a gang of followers bonded by two years on the road – a tough, resourceful group whose loyalty is absolute.

Then news is brought that the Galileean is approaching the city on a donkey's colt, and will be entering Jerusalem through the East Gate – thus fulfilling two of the most powerful religious prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. The one who many believe will lead them to military victory or spiritual salvation.

On the streets a crowd is beginning to gather. And the week has only just begun...

MO

See more at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/12_december/04/passion.shtml

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3430244.ece

Join in St. Marks Church Prayer Shawl Ministry

2008-03-04T16:57:00.003Z

A prayer shawl is an embrace…it is a hug. It is tangible. You knit your thoughts and prayers into the shawl & keep the one who receives it in your prayers.

As part of the vision of Loving people, the earth & God St. Marks would like to invite you to share this vision - by knitting or donating wool so that others can knit (or crochet) a prayer shawl. This is a relatively new ministry within the UK although there are a couple of United Reformed Churches offering this ministy already. It involves staying where you are but sharing the simple knitting pattern below (crochet pattern to follow soon) with those who are knotty knitters - church people or not. Once the prayer shawl is knitted it is sent to the Care Team (see postal address below) at St. Mark's United Reformed Church where the whole Sunday congregation or Saturday congregation say a blessing prayer over the prayer shawl in worship and members take it as a gift and blessing to someone eg a mum who has recently given birth, someone who has been bereaved, a person who is lonely, someone who has moved into residential care housing, who is staying in hospital or at home alone. The prayer shawls are knitted with love and care and are given to comfort, bless, show support and prayer from the church through peoples hobby of knitting which can be very meditative, even prayerful for some people. People can share the pattern in church magazines & on websites. Please always include the website below which is where the ministry originally initiated from in North America. In some churches people meet in knitting circles to knit, chat and pray together about those who will receive the shawls in celebration, grief, loneliness, in need of healing etc.

The prayer shawls can be all one colour, in bold, pale or mixed wools. Knit a shawl that you would like to receive in certain circumstances & for people with different life events and personalities.

We hope these hints help rather than hinder your knitting enthusiasm and skills!

Pattern for a prayer shawl:
Needle size: 8mm or 0 English
Wool recommended: DK - 200 grams
Length: 54 inches (140 cms) plus fringe
Width: 18 inches (46 cms)
Pattern - easy triple Moss Stitch
Cast on 63 stitches
Row1-K3, P3 (knit 3, pearle 3)
Continue in moss stitch until required length.
Cast off & make a fringe at either end of shawl

You created every part of me, knitting me in my Mother’s womb. For such handiwork, I praise you. Awesome this great wonder! Bible: Psalm 139:13-14

Please post/give the completed shawl with your contact details to: Care Team, St. Marks United Reformed Church, Oatlands Rd, Manchester M22 6AH. Thankyou!
St. Mark’s United Reformed Church pray a blessing prayer over the prayer shawl and our Care Team give it away locally. www.shawlministry.com

We hope to be able to bless and give away all the prayer shawls with a special gift tag attached that someone is preparing for us with their craft skills. No prayer shawls can be bought but we appreciate donations of wool (200gram kind) to the above address, any knitting prayers, songs or stories about how you are approaching this ministry and sharing in the vision of St. Marks, recycling wool, caring for people and creation where we are.

Fairtrade Fortnight & One World Celebration

2008-03-02T08:39:00.004Z

We celebrated One World Wythenshawe yesterday with several hundred people from around Wythenshawe & Manchester with world music, samba, drumming, dance, song, community stalls including our offering from St. Mark's United Reformed Church of free hand massage, olive wood from Palestine and cards from Mozambique. Our next-door stall was Traidcraft with lots of lovely Fairtrade items like chocolate, nuts, dried fruits, biscuits, tea, coffee, rice, sugar and more!

This is the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight and The Tree of Life Centre are aiming to serve up some delicious fairtrade meals this week in Woodhouse Park! They have set themselves a challenge and celebration of fairtrade food through the week! What will you do to take up the Fairtrade challenge & switch something in your life to a fairtrade marked item?

One World Wythenshawe was a great big party of diversity and togetherness not only in Wythenshawe but connecting us with other parts of the world where peoples families relate to or have their heritage. It made me think of the small and big ripples our actions can make...a Lenten thought perhaps?

messychurch & pamper night updates

2008-02-25T10:40:00.003Z

The Feburary theme of Getting Ready meant 20 people of all ages, including new friends, gathered & made paper mache eggs to be decorated next month,Mothers Day cards to give away, plasticine models of a story of Jesus going into Jerusalem city on a donkey and shared a celebration about getting ready to go on a journey with home-made palm branches! We shared yummy pancakes and hot cross buns too! Some of our friends were poorly or away on holiday but we look forward to welcoming you to take part in March messychurch for Easter fun!

Our recent women's pamper & relaxation event was a great success celebrating fairtrade & local produce including some delicious home-made face-masks with honey, bananas and oats! 17 women tried out hand massage, shoulder & neck massage & some had a foot spa. We chatted informally together in the church communion area which was transformed by purple (lenten) material, scented candles and gentle music. It was lovely to share stories about our Peace Oil from Israel harvested by Jews, Israelis and Arabs together and celebrate the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight with fairtrade grapes, pineapple, smoothies and chocolate cake! Not surprisingly there were requests for more events like this to bring friends to! Wonderful, what a blessing to share together during Lent with something special like this in a gentle Christian ethos.

Climate Change group at Parklands High School, Wythenshawe

2008-02-16T19:19:00.004Z

A group of young people who attend Parklands High School in Wythenshawe have launched a fantastic website for teenagers about climate change & what we can do. They have also made an amazing film about climate change & the future & our actions today which make a difference. It is copyright-free and able to be shown by anyone interested! It is a short film funded by DEFRA & part supported by a handful of committed professionals in Manchester who worked mainly voluntarily on the project to resource young people.

Both the website & film feature young people from Wythenshawe. What an inspiration it was to be at the launch, get a copy of the film to share with the churches in Wythenshawe & to be able to celebrate & highlight the fab stuff that Parklands High School are supportive of as well as Manchester City Council 100 Days and others!

Street Pastors & St. Marks Church, Woodhouse Park

2008-02-10T18:03:00.000Z

Street Pastors is a national initiative and it's happening in Manchester!

It is about being the church in action on the streets at nightime, in pubs, clubs, takeaways, in residential areas, housing estates, city centres and more; listening, caring & helping where possible. There are 1000 Street Pastors in the UK across 30 locations of towns & cities. They train for a year setting aside one Saturday a month to focus on listening skills, child protection, working in partnership with others, safety, drugs & alcohol issues and more. Street Pastors operate in pairs up to small groups by simply walking around a specific area on a Friday or Saturday night on a regular basis from about 7pm-midnight.

In the areas where Street Pastors operate crime is often reduced dramatically as people begin to forge new kinds of relationships of trust, respect and care together in their communities.

At St. Mark's United Reformed Church in Wythenshawe we have a vision for sharing Street Pastors in Wythenshawe alongside other Christians from our area. Why? We believe God is a sending out God who wants us to go to where people are, to learn a new language from and with them, to listen and show care and respect for people in our own communities.

Three people from St. Marks have begun the 2008 training to become Street Pastors but a minimum of 12 people are needed to start Street Pastors in an area so we need your support. If you are from a church in Wythenshawe & interested to learn more then contact us - our number is in the directory. If you're not from Wythenshawe & are interested then visit the Street Pastors website & see if you can train to join a team near you. Street Pastors runs in several different countries & there are now enquiries from churches wanting to start it in many places across the world.

We hope that training to join a team elsewhere in Manchester will give our trainee Street Pastors the necessary experience of being part of a team starting up & be able to share that in Wythenshawe. There is a new training series for Manchester next in Feb 2009 - we hope you will find out more & join in!