Parish Church of St Luke Holmes Chapel
Come to Christ, Love to Learn, Learn to Love!
This Jubilee week at St Luke’s – Holmes Chapel
see also: Diary – Link – Readings for the week
Sunday 29th May – Ascension
Readings for today: Acts 1: 1-11, John 17: 20-26 as we celebrate the ascension of our Lord
9am – Holy Communion in church – a traditional service in contemporary language following Common Worship with classic hymns – for Covid reasons* only consecrated bread is received.
10.30am – Morning Worship – a less formal service with contemporary songs.
Wednesday 1st June
10.30am Morning Prayer in church – a short service to worship together to enjoy peace and seek the Lord .
*COVID-19 precautions – many people locally are still contracting the virus. Please use your own discretion about wearing a face-mask in church but respect the wishes of those who feel vulnerable and who are continuing to wear one and are maintaining social distancing. We appreciate your cooperation in this to help keep everyone safe.
Thursday 2nd June
St Luke’s church will be open from 8.00pm – 10.30pm
The Jubilee Beacon will be lit on top of the church tower from 9.45pm – 10.30pm in unison with 2,200 beacons across the UK and Commonwealth
Friday & Saturday 3rd & 4th June
St Luke’s church will be open for visitors from 10am to 4pm
Mar 2022 letter
One of the great strengths of the Church of England, since its inception nearly 500 years ago, has been its prayerbook. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer wrote some cracking prayers. Those prayers have provided the words which have helped generations of English-speaking Christians to pray heartfelt, spiritually mature, linguistically beautiful, straightforward prayers to the Lord.
This Lent we have a Teaching series on prayer with a focus on good prayers out of the book. If you have a favourite prayer, come and tell us about it at church. Hopefully there will be a spot in many of our services when a church member stands up, comes out to the front, tells us about their favourite prayer and why it’s a favourite, then leads us in praying it.
Feb 2022 letter
Dear Friends
After all our lives have been disrupted over the last two years, some of us most severely, it feels like time for us to catch up. Things are heading towards a little more normality. So there are opportunities to catch up.
At Christmas Jean and I were able to see our son, daughter-in-law, daughter and my brother and his family from Australia, all together, for the first time in a long time. We did a lot of catching up.
This month, St Luke’s is hosting the Knitted Bible Experience, for primary schoolchildren and all visitors. It seems so long since we were able to host school classes in church. And so rarely we have had the church doors open for allcomers. We’re catching up with what has been unable to happen for a long while.
Easter Flowers
Easter Flowers – a thank you!.
Have your say about services!
After six months of the newly resumed pattern of services in St Luke’s church, we are running a short questionnaire seeking the feedback and views of our church members of all ages including those who as yet have not been able to return to services in church. SURVEY NOW CLOSED – MANY THANKS TO THOSE WHO TOOK PART!!
Safeguarding: Past Cases Review 2 (PCR2)
The national review commissioned In 2007 by the Church of England to look at the handling by the Church of child protection cases over many years. All parishes nationally were required to respond by checking records and reporting to the review all known cases of concern about the behaviour of clergy and church officers towards children and vulnerable adults. The review process is nearing completion and a national report is expected to be issued mid-year.
Appeal update Feb22
At Harvest Festival 2020, we launched an £80,000 Appeal for Organ and Lighting in St Luke’s. This month February 2022, we galloped over the threshold, thanks to a generous gift. So, in less than 18 months, we can look back at the ways in which the Lord has graciously provided.
All Comers Choir
From March 20th there will be a chance to sing in the All Comers Choir at church services.
Knitted Bible Exhibition at St Luke’s
St Luke’s was fortunate to host the Knitted Bible exhibition which tours the nation, in Holmes Chapel at the end of January. The Children’s Team Leader, Fiona Pullé and vicar, Canon Rob McLaren, secured the exhibition to come to St Luke’s and invited village Primary Schools as well as local parishioners to visit the Knitted Bible Experience in St Luke’s church. The exhibition was a great success and very well attended with excellent feedback both from schoolchildren and adults.
Praying together Lent 2022
Praying Together in Lent and Passiontide @St Lukes, Holmes Chapel.
Ash Wednesday Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God,
You hate nothing that you have made
And forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts
That we, worthily lamenting our sins
And acknowledging our wretchedness,
May receive from you, the God of all mercy,
Perfect remission and forgiveness;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Download the Prayersheet for printing below
Praying Together
When sickness is near:
you can view or download this prayersheet here
God of compassion, be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation.
In their loneliness, be their consolation;
in their anxiety, be their hope;
in their darkness, be their light;
through him who suffered alone on the cross, but reigns with you in glory,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Merciful God, we entrust to your tender care those who are ill or in pain,
knowing that whenever danger threatens your everlasting arms are there to hold them safe.
Comfort and heal them, and restore them to health and strength; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
For hospital staff and medical researchers
Gracious God,
give skill, sympathy and resilience to all who are caring for the sick,
and your wisdom to those searching for a cure. Strengthen them with your Spirit,
that through their work many will be restored to health;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
From one who is ill or isolated
O God, help me to trust you,
help me to know that you are with me, help me to believe that nothing can separate me from your love
revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
New history of St Luke’s
Take up of the newly published History of St Luke’s has been excellent. More copies have now been printed.
Please contact Peter Cotton by email: papscotton@sky.com or phone 01477 537491 to make sure of your copy!
Pastoral letter – November 3rd 2020
We write because the latest announcements of the authorities mean there will be no services in church for the next four weeks (and maybe more!). This is disappointing news as our regular 9am Sunday and 10.30 Wednesday small services had been going well. People were positive. Numbers were averaging 30 on Sundays and 20 on Wednesdays. We have made the most of our window of opportunity since the end of July, and thank you for your responsible participation. We will write again when we are able to re-open church services in church.
Towards normality? Your views on worship again in church
The recent relaxation of the official virus restrictions to allow some limited services to start in churches under carefully controlled conditions is very welcome but poses real problems in small churches like St Luke’s. To guide discussion at the July meeting of the Church Council about how and when to resume the limited church services now permitted, we consulted our congregations through a short questionnaire. Read more for some of the statistics and findings which led to the PCC deciding to resume limited services in St Luke’s on a trial basis in August.