Here is 'The Messenger' downloable for free: November Magazine.
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Dear brothers and sisters,
Over the past two months we have seen a great deal of change at All Saints’ church. We have begun our 11am Sunday morning Eucharist and are even going to be starting a Sunday school during this service over the next couple of weeks, as of writing. It has been a joy to watch our Sunday morning congregation begin to grow, as new people have started to enter into a Eucharistic faith and walk with God, and some others have returned to our church for the first time in many years.
In fact, we have started to see some members of our Friday night youth group, who had been attending our Sunday afternoon Closer service, and have now started to attend our Sunday morning Eucharist too. This has happened because of the wonderful welcome that these children and young people have received by members of both the churches in our parish, as you have all been either volunteering at the many children’s and family’s events over the past few months, or because of your heartfelt prayers. God is transforming the lives of many of the people in our parish and bringing them to know him.
It has also been a joy to see continued growth in our Closer service as more people have begun to engage in our Sunday afternoon service at 4pm, but also to see a number of them go deeper in their faith. We are soon to be sending three or four people from All Saints’ church to start training for Authorised Lay Ministry. This is a path that Carol Pearson has recently journeyed down as she was authorised by Fr Mike in St George’s at the beginning of October, and is now exploring the next stage of a wider, Licensed Lay Ministry, which will see her able to explore more widely her vocation within our parish. For all our lay ministers this has been an encouraging sign that the faith is to be lived out by us all, not just by the clergy, and if you, too, have a vocation that you wish to explore, I encourage you to speak to Carol or one of the clergy as we would love to hear about your calling and offer you encouragement in exploring it.
We have also recently started a knit and natter club on a Thursday from 6pm at All Saints’ church. This has been a great social occasion with some lovely people, some of whom had been isolated until this club started. As we keep showing the love of Christ in our community, I know that it will continue to change lives and lift up those who are downhearted; this knitting group has certainly done that as it is an easy, fun setting to spend time with others on a Thursday night.
There is a lot happening in our parish over the coming months as we start to turn our eyes towards Christmas. It seems like it has been no time at all since we were last preparing ourselves to look both forwards and back to Christ’s coming, and this time we may perhaps do so, knowing that he is at work in our parish through his Holy Spirit. As 2025 is suggested as a year of prayer by the diocese, and as we start to think about the prayer in our parish, can I encourage you to be unceasing in your own personal prayers, they matter. God hears you when you talk to him so be praying for all that he may do both in our parish and throughout Lancashire as we prayer for 2025. Amen.
Fr Jordan