Summer Newsletter 

Summer is a time of change: children move classes, start and finish school, students do the same with university and there is change of place as people go away for a holiday - change from inside to outside. 
Even church changes at this time of year: it takes a breather and there are fewer activities and services (for instance there is no 4.30pm service on Sundays in August). This time is a pause: a pause to seek refreshment and renewal before launching new programmes and activities after the summer.

This summer there comes an even a bigger change. After 15 years of supporting the Church of the Resurrection (CoRe) on Upton Priory the relationship between St Peter's and CoRe is changing.  CoRe is taking a new direction as it joins with the other Macclesfield Anglican Churches as part of a larger mission strategy across the whole of Macclesfield. This is good news for the faithful congregation and also good news for the six and half thousand people in the Upton Parish who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. However, as with many changes, it is not without some sadness too.

Over the time we have journeyed together much has been achieved and not just a beautifully re-ordered building that serves as a Community Hub with a thriving Food Pantry at the heart of its outreach. But also more importantly, a transformation of the relationship with the local community on Upton Priory. It's wonderful that so many people know where the Church of the Resurrection is, and feel relaxed entering the space.

None of this would have been possible without God's guidance and leading and so it is to Him we will be giving praise at the end of August with a Service of Thanks and Celebration.  So, save the date! Sunday 31 August at 4.30pm at Church of the Resurrection. There will be cake and refreshments afterwards - some good things never change!

In this month's newsletter

• Church news

• This month's worship

• Community news

• Prayer resources

• Closing thoughts

Church News

What's your shape?

How many people does it take to change a lightbulb? We all know how the jokes go... please insert the version of your choice. We also know that it takes many people to keep things ticking over in church. People volunteer for things in church for all sorts of reasons but often it is a grateful response to what God has done for them. If asked, some may talk of a feeling of being called, being nudged towards something and a feeling of 'rightness' within an activity - something that fits their shape. A love for our church building and the people who worship here, or a commitment to a night shelter or food pantry is an outward sign of a personal and grateful faith.  
After the summer, we will all be being encouraged to consider what our shape is - that is to explore our own unique shape in living out our faith. This moves us from one understanding of volunteering to a fuller one - one of living-out of our faith every day. 
If you would like to begin thinking about this, why not come and have a conversation!

Lesson reading
Welcoming
Chalice
Sound desk
Young Church helper
Coffee rota
Holy duster
Holy gardener
Intercessions
PCC member
Music group
Choir

There are many others if you would like to get more involved in any Church activities have a word with a Church Warden or member of the Ministry team.

Coming soon!!

Monday Fellowship Group

(formerly Prestbury Mothers’ Union)
 
Empowered by your spirit, may we be united in prayer and worship, and in love and service reach out as your hands across the world. (Part of the Mothers’ Union prayer.)

Following the last couple of meetings of consultation and exploration about the future of our well loved Mothers’ Union group, we are by popular decision moving forward with a more manageable schedule and a new name.
Worship, Christian Teaching and Ecumenical relationships will remain at the centre of this group. We commit to our friendship, and to making it a welcoming safe space for anyone looking for company on the Monday afternoons below.
 

We are delighted that Beverley Angier will join us for our inaugural meeting in September to tell us about her recent return visit to Ghana, accompanied by photos and videos.
You don’t need to have come before, or be a member of any of our churches - all are very welcome.
 
Dates we will meet during our 2025/2026 season:
8 September: Beverley Angier – Revisiting Ghana
10 November: Jean Harter – Christmas Crafts
12 January: tbc
8 March: John Powell – Church Candle Challenge
11 May – members of the Fellowship Group will join the Prestbury Methodist Faith Lunch (time tbc) at the Methodist Chapel.
 
As our Mothers’ Union branch has changed over the years and now become something new, we ask for God’s blessing on the new Monday Fellowship Group, and offer this prayer in memory of all the years that Mothers’ Union was a cornerstone of our churches:
 
Ever loving Father, we thank you for the work and witness of the Prestbury Branch of the Mothers Union. For all by which it is remembered, for all that it meant to those who belonged to it, and those who were in any way helped by its members, and for everything in its life which reflected your mercy and love. 
We remember and honour the members who have departed this life and those who have moved away. We recall the happy times in the past. 
We pray that we may remain true to our Mothers’ Union membership promises and continue to know your love and power in our lives. 
We ask you to bless the work of the Mothers’ Union and prosper its branches throughout the world. Give wisdom and courage to those who  who hold office and serve on its councils; unite its members in faith and love.
This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Home Communion

‘The Church of God, of which we are members, has taken bread and wine and given thanks over them according to our Lord’s command. We bring these holy gifts that we may share in the communion of his body and blood. We who are many are one body, because we all share in one bread.’
 
Members of St Peter’s ministry and pastoral teams regularly take Home Communion to people with a connection to us, but who are unable to come out to church because of frailty or illness. We take a simple service of Holy Communion to people’s homes, or to them in hospital or in care homes. Sometimes members of their families, carers, or close friends join us as well.
 
You may have seen the small glass wine bottles and silver pyx (small silver box for consecrated bread) on the Holy Table during a Communion service in church. These small containers of bread and wine are consecrated with those for the congregation at the 10.30am  service and taken for use in a Home Communion service. It seems to me that in this way the whole sense of the community of the church family is taken and given, as well as the physical elements of Jesus’ body and blood.
 It is a privilege to take these ‘holy gifts’ to people who are frail or immobile and we believe the benefit to those who receive it is immeasurable.
Do let the parish office know if you, or someone you care for, would like to receive Holy Communion in this way and we will be in touch. 

Parish Office 01625 827625 parishoffice@stpetersprestbury.org.uk
 
Foxhill

‘As I enter now, I pause to be still, to breathe slowly, to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God…’
 
Twenty four members of our church community re-centred their scattered senses upon the presence of God at Foxhill in June. It was a thoughtful and happy day.
 
We asked for feedback so we could see how people thought it went, and what else they might have liked to have done. This has helped us hear what people enjoyed, and identify changes we could make next time.
 
The Word Cloud and the comments below speak for themselves…

What was the best part?

“it was all very good”
“welcoming atmosphere”
“a lovely day, as I thought it would be”
“lovely spiritual place”
“being together”
“being part of such a friendly group”
“the company was very good”
“lunch was delicious and it was lovely to share this with others”
“opportunities for silent meditation and reflection”
“sharing silence and prayer”
“having the freedom to sit quietly and reflect, or choose to chat”
“challenging our thinking and questioning our assumptions”
“I was left wishing for more…”

We are keen for this type of event to become a regular part our our calendar. Watch this space for next year’s date.
 

A Thank You letter from Upton Priory parish, to Prestbury parish

To everyone at St Peter's and St John's

An era is coming to an end and it is time to say thank you. A process has been underway for quite some time to consider how the Macclesfield Anglican Churches can work together as a team and reach out to those who are not coming to church – as symbolised by Bishop Sam with an empty chair.
The expectation is that with effective joint working - and including funding for a transition period at least, the Christian outreach from 8 churches in Macclesfield will be revitalised. This will include a partnership of 3 churches focussed on the estates and a mission to those on the margins and the disadvantaged. With the encouragement of our previous and current Archdeacons, this is the route that the Church of the Resurrection will take. We will work with St John's (Weston estate) and St Barnabas (Moss estate).
During this Summer the Prestbury Ministry Team will continue to support the Church of the Resurrection with a priest for services on the first and third Sundays in July and August. From September other arrangements will apply.
So it is time to say thank you for all the support that has flowed from St Peter's and St John's since 2010. Including:

• Ministry support from Rev Patrick Angier and the St Peter's Ministry Team, with particular and fond thanks to Rev Avril Ravenscroft and Rev Sue Hawkins.

• A shared Youth and Community worker.

• Much-appreciated financial and practical support from individuals at the time of our refurbishment project.

• Help from the Parish Office.

• Support from past and present members of Prestbury PCC.

• Assistance with grant applications.

• Help with running the Upton Youth and Community Project CIO, with which members of the St Peter's congregation will continue to be involved.

• A general welcome and friendliness from the St Peter's and St John's congregations.

You may wonder what happened to the plan to dissolve the Upton Priory parish and merge the larger part with Prestbury parish? Well this proved to be difficult for legal reasons and it did not happen. 
 

So thank you again to everyone involved in the partnership of the last 15 years – it has been much appreciated.

David Bayley, Churchwarden at the Church of the Resurrection
Wendy Eifflaender, Vice-Chair Upton Priory PCC

Christian Aid update

Thank you to everyone who supported Christian Aid Week this year in any way - whether by donating through an envelope, delivering envelopes, receiving envelopes, attending the quiz, donating a raffle prize, or in any other way. We raised a total of £2010, quite a bit more than last year’s £1640. Of that, the quiz raised just over £400 and the remainder came from envelopes and the church collection.
The last update I had from Christian Aid said that they had raised over £800,000 in total but that was in late May, and I expect it will have gone up a lot since then. We all know how much this money is needed to help the world’s poorest people adapt to a changing world; Christian Aid exists to work towards a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty. Thank you.

Social Justice and Environment Hub

Worship Services for July

St Peter's Church, Sunday Services

Sunday
6th

Worship Services for August

St Peter's Church, Sunday Services

Mission Congregation Services for July

Mission Congregation Services for August 

Mid-Week Summer Worship for July and August

Diary for July & August                    

Thursdays:                          Holy Dusters      9.30am (11.30am on 10 July)
                                               Pram Service     last of term 10 July 10.15am

Fridays:                               Choir Practice 7.45pm in St Peter's

Saturday 1st                       Litter Pickers 10.30am outside church

Prayer Resources 

During the summer why not try something different in your prayer life. Here are some prayer apps and sites you could visit.

Church of England Daily Prayer: Morning and Evening Prayer and Compline with a daily audio option.

Lectio 365: A free app to help you pause in the presence of God each day.

24-7 Prayer apps: a variety of different ways to connect with God each day.

Pray as you go: A rhythm of music, reading and guided prayer for each day - gentle and reflective. To listen or read - about 10 minutes.

Lectio for Families: by 24/7 a chance to explore faith together.

Time to pray: full text of morning and evening prayer for each day including Psalms.

Church of England, Everyday Faith app: a new devotional resource by the Church of England designed to equip and inspire you in faith every day of the week. 

Those who have died

Ruth Inskip

Community News 

Food Pantry

Pantry to Plate – Cooking Up Confidence

Our Pantry to Plate project is now in its 11th and penultimate week, and it’s been a real success. The project has supported pantry members to cook healthy, affordable meals from scratch—sharing weekly recipe cards and bags for dishes like Pasta Carbonara, Chat Saag Aloo, Fish Cakes and Ramen.

All the recipes were developed by local chef Jinny Chivers of Cooking with Jinny, using ingredients typically found in the pantry. Each week she built on key cooking skills, giving members the confidence to try something new. Jinny also joined us in person every four weeks at both pantries, offering friendly demos and tasters of the next set of recipes.

So far, we've given out 191 free store cupboard bags, one for each member who has attended through the project. Each bag is packed with seven essential ingredients - herbs, garlic powder, spices, sunflower oil, soy sauce, stock cubes and lemon juice—making it easier to cook well on a budget. Members have so far chosen to take over 500 recipe bags from the shelves.

Participant feedback has been inspiring:
“The instructions were easy and it was done in a flash.”
“It encouraged me to cook from scratch with healthy ingredients.”

Jinny shared: “It was wonderful to see how the recipes and tastings brought people together—sharing stories, trying new meals, and building community. The Pantry is clearly so much more than just access to food.”

We’re grateful to Cheshire East Council for funding this project, and to those in the church family who have supported it through donations and encouragement. You’ve helped us make a real and lasting difference.

Closing Thoughts

St Paul wrote "be transformed by the renewing of your mind". It's often here that the battle between God's will and our will is most fierce.

Your Will Not Mine

What I will for me is selfish and small.
What you will for me is selfless and endless

My will grabs for what it wants and calls it freedom
Your will is conformed to what the father wants,
and calls it love.

I am enslaved in the dungeon of my will
Your will is the service that is perfect freedom.

Will you ever forgive me for the ills that i will?
Will I ever give in to the good you will for me?
Will there ever be a world without end?
And will i ever be worthy to end up there?

Will I ever cease my willing?
Will you ever cease forgiving

Lord your will not mine
And your will be done.

Newsletter Information

Church or community news to be included in the newsletter needs to be sent to the Parish Office or Vicarage by the last Tuesday of the month.