Message from Rev Wendy Oliver

As I write this I am breaking the rules really as I am still on sick leave and will be for some time.

However I just had to say to you all a HUGE HUGE thank you for your incredible generosity in supporting the Tower/Spire fund. We have just about reached our goal of £33000 in 3 months not 6!

However, please do not stop giving as the more money we raise towards the £66000 means the less grants we require and who knows we may even raise the whole amount!

I have always known you were an incredible group of people and you are. THANK YOU!

I was listening to Julia's sermon for last Sunday 18 October 2019 - if you haven't seen, read or heard it please do check out our website christschurchharwood.org. It is excellent.

The reading is from Luke 10 regarding the sending out of the 72. It is a call to each and everyone of us to follow Jesus and serve our church in any way we can.

You may not realise that we now have a Youth Group (11-18) now called WAVES which is just starting to meet via Zoom each week. Connor has an amazing vision for our YP and is there not only to inspire them but also to train the leaders. There are over 20 youngsters in the 2 groups making up Waves.

The problem is lack of leaders. We only have Connor and 1 other at present.

I think it is a terrible indictment of our church when no-one wants to work with our YP, not only the church of tomorrow but also the church of today. What does it say to them? Will they feel part of the church when no adults are there to support them?

How can they know about Jesus who is alive and working in all our lives today if we don't share our own stories with them?

I know it is scary but at present all meetings are via Zoom and Connor is there to teach and encourage; our Lord Jesus is with us and his Holy Spirit will bring courage and the words we need. If you love children and want to see them come to the Lord contact Connor.

Please do contact Connor to find out more: Tel: 07941011687

Or email: connorharmsworth@manchester.anglican.org

Bless you all

Wendy

Christ's Church in Conversation with Wendy Oliver

In the first of our ‘Christ’s Church in Conversation’ series, Connor Harmsworth speaks to our Vicar, Rev Wendy Oliver, about life in lockdown.

Life at Christ's Church 25.3.20

Obviously over the last few days we’ve had sweeping changes to our lives – in all areas!

The Church building can longer be open, which is very sad – but the GOOD NEWS is that even though the building is closed – THE CHURCH IS STILL OPEN!

STILL OPEN through our social media sites – this website, our Facebook pages, Twitter and Instagram

which have sermon vlogs, blogs, prayers, information and much, much more to keep us focused on the positive and hopeful rather than all the panic and fear of so much around us.

STILL OPEN through email and telephone – The Vicarage: 01204 525196, parishsec@hotmail.co.uk

Always someone there to answer your queries, to offer support and arrange help with shopping etc.

We have an amazing group of wonderful people who have offered to phone regularly for a chat or to do shopping, collect prescriptions, etc.

Just let us know if you need us.

STILL OPEN many of our church group leaders have been phoning round members of our congregation whom they know, to find out if everything is going OK in these difficult and uncertain times. However, it may be we don’t have your full contact details and if that is case please do contact us if we can be of any help at all.

STILL OPEN to receive your desperately needed food for the Grub Tub, which is now in the front porch of The Vicarage, so on your daily exercise you could pop by and drop it in. We will be taking it to Urban Outreach regularly.

STILL OPEN to receive your orange envelopes as we try to keep our Grade II listing building warm and aired to protect it ready for service beginning again the future. Maybe you’d like to change your gift to a standing order through your bank – just download the form HERE and return to your bank.

Finally:

In this time of fear and uncertainty we have to lean heavily on what the scripture tells us. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.” - the words of scripture haven’t changed!

God is seated immovably upon the throne and continues to have

“plans to prosper us and not to harm us but to give us a hope and future”.

Stick with us, there’s a lot we’re all going to be processing over the next weeks and months, so why not journey through this as a family – a CHURCH FAMILY.

Let’s choose to support each other if we can’t meet to worship.

Because He’s still good, even when life is not.

May the Lord keep you safe and hold you in his loving arms.

God bless

Wendy

Message from Rev Wendy Oliver

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m living through some kind of disaster movie at the present time!  What will happen next? Society seems to have gone a bit bonkers doesn’t it?  Well never fear God is still here and so is Christ’s Church, Harwood.

Sadly though in the light of the Government guidance around non-essential contact to help stem the spread of the Coronavirus, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have issued advice that public worship is suspended until further notice.  Therefore, it is with great sadness that we must announce that there will be no more formal worship services held at Christ’s Church, Harwood during this very difficult period.  Our APCM (AGM) due to take place on 28 March is also postponed.  All other church groups including the Lounge Café are cancelled until further notice.

However, this does not mean that the church is not still alive and active!  WE ARE!!!  We are still church although in different ways.  AND there are lots of ways we can support one another, stay in touch, pray even if we don’t meet for regular worship on Sundays.

There is no way COVID-19 will defeat us!  I know many people are feeling fearful of the future and what it holds, but remember we are a Church of HOPE!  That hope is what will bring us through to the end of this difficult time.

How can we bring HOPE in this situation? Well first let’s look to scripture, Psalm 23 is a marvellous place to start, with acknowledgement that God is the good shepherd always with us, meeting our needs, even if that leads us to walk through the shadow of death, he brings us through to the other side and is still with us.  Let’s remember too that as Christians we have HOPE of a future, eternally with God.

We can PRAY, and if we don’t know the words to use, or we feel we’ve never really prayed before and are nervous why not try using the Lord’s Prayer.

Christ’s Church, Harwood has a Strategy Team which is looking at different ways we can still be church in a very different world. 

Although there will not be usual worship services on Sunday morning the church will be open this Sunday from 9.30-10.30am for people to come and spend a time of quiet reflective prayer in our beautiful church building.  Obviously safety measures will need to be adhered to.  

From Monday 23 March a number of us will, in our own homes, be using the Church of England Daily Prayer at 10am and 7pm.  If you would like to join in the app can be downloaded at the Google and Apple app stores, it’s called Daily Prayer.  It is very easy to use.

It is hoped that we will be able to make sure that the majority if not all of our regular congregation will be contacted by someone from church and are putting plans in place so everyone knows we are there for them.

Our social media sites will be regularly updated with prayers, podcasts, videos and information to help everyone through.  The magazine due out at the beginning of March will have lots of articles prayers and articles which we hope will encourage us all in this difficult time.

Please remember that we also have a Grub Tub here in Church and many people will need help from Food Banks during this time of uncertainty, so if you have an extra tin or two, toilet rolls or anything else which could help someone else, please do drop it off on Sunday mornings whilst we are open.

The Canon Slade register will also be available to sign and a collection plate for your regular giving.  Please remember that just because the church is closed we still have to keep it aired and cleaned, we also have a busy churchyard that needs maintaining and without all of us continuing to give financially, it can quickly fall into disrepair.  It is 181 years old after all!!!

A small number of notice sheets will be available for collection on Sundays for those who can’t get online, together with lists of people who are available to volunteer to shop & deliver food and for those who are self-isolating and need our help.  There are also some volunteer forms you might like to put through your neighbours doors to let them know you are there for them. We are already being contacted by members of the community to see if we can help out as they are self-isolating.

Finally my dear brothers and sisters let’s remember that even if we are self-isolating, feeling ill, alone and scared that God is always there and if we ask will wrap his loving arms around us. Also we, The Church is there for you too.

Be safe and trust in the Lord.

Wendy

Children & Young People Update

The Education Department of the Diocese of Manchester have recently received a £1 million grant for BOLTON for a project called Children Changing Places which will engage children, their families and schools in the Bolton area to create new discipleship pathways for children.

The project will have a particular impact when children reach the key points of moving into primary education or from primary to secondary education. It will focus on building strong links between the home, church and school to create discipleship pathways from toddler group to secondary school and beyond.

The Children Changing Places project will start in the early years, helping existing toddler groups to become more intentionally Christian and creating 10 new toddler groups across three deaneries. It will encourage and establish new worshipping communities such as Messy Church and Messy Tots.

Work will also develop to create discipleship pathways within primary schools, perhaps looking at how church could take place in school, or how children can be encouraged on their faith journeys through ethos groups and worship groups.

In September 2019, three Chaplaincy Assistants will begin their work alongside the Chaplains in three CE high schools in the Bishop Fraser Multi Academy Trust. The Project will provide ‘safe landing’ and further discipleship opportunities for those children in our Bolton CE primary schools as they transition to CE high schools. This will develop and nurture their faith as they continue along their Christian discipleship pathway.

Our Church School is Bolton St Catherine’s Academy (BSCA) and it is one of the schools in the Bishop Fraser Trust, the others are Canon Slade and St James Farnworth.  This means we at CCH are very fortunate as we fall into categories of the project in a number of areas. 

Firstly, a new toddler group called “Little Fishes” will open its doors in church on Wednesday 30th October at 1.30pm.  Little Fishes will be intentionally Christian and a new team is coming together headed up by Jenny Plant ably assisted by Rosie Lund, Lilian Punchaby, Caroline Loftus and Val Dunning who are even now attending training courses and making decisions about how it will work, what we will need etc etc etc.  We have been working closely with Steph Openshaw, the Children Changing Places Early Years Worker and are hoping to receive a small grant to help fund it.  More volunteers would be very helpful even if you can’t come every week.  Speak to Rosie if interested.

Secondly, Nicola Witter Children Changing Places Project, Deanery Children & Family Worker goes regularly into St Catherine’s primary school to work with Yr 5&6 children and attended the BSCA Leavers Assembly in church on 16th July and was very impressed with it.  She is hoping to attend Awesome, our after school club on Wednesdays at BSCA and see what we are up to and hopefully offer encouragement and advice to Rev’d Adrienne Morgan and her team.

Thirdly, a Chaplaincy Assistant has been appointed to work alongside the Chaplains at BSCA and part of their job includes a placement at a local church for 7 hours a week.  Guess what?  WE are the local church and I am delighted to announce that Connor Harmsworth, who was introduced to the church last Sunday (28th August) will be with us from September for 2 years.  He will work initially with the current leaders of CC (our youth group) to inspire, enthuse and give confidence as they work with our young people.  Connor is looking at new material that can be used which will engage with CC members and that will be introduced soon as is feasible.  More details will follow as Connor’s ministry unfolds amongst us.  He will be at The Moving On Service at 10.30am on 8th September when 5 children will be Moving On to CC from FISH.  Afterwards there is a BBQ for everyone to do come along and meet him.

This is all very exciting for us as a church and I hope and pray you will all get behind the amazing things that are happening here at Christ’s Church, Harwood.

God bless

Wendy

Rev’d Canon Wendy Oliver, Vicar