October Newsletter
Welcome to the October Newsletter! Those who are relatively new to church life might not know this online newsletter only began in Covid times, replacing 'The Rock' (our full colour A4 magazine that was distributed three times a year across the parish) and the 'Bulletin'. These had been our regular across the parish communications, alongside our website and Facebook page. We have now come to another point of development in our Communications and this time it is a route we have chosen! Later this month our new Church Communication Officer, Bethan Wilson, takes up her post. Communication routes such as our posters, social media, the website, this newsletter and numbers of new initiatives will be all part of her work and we are looking forward to seeing how things change and evolve as her work impacts our communications. More importantly in these early days she will be her getting a feel for us as a Church community, not because she is trying to advertise or sell God, but invite people into our community where they will be welcomed and loved and where God may be encountered.
A shorter newsletter?
Our newsletter is shorter this month - not because we have all been on holiday but because we are focusing on a few important things.
In a longer piece we have a look at the shape of our Holy Communion Services. They're different in feel and music, but have their roots in common ground. This is so for many Anglican Churches and we are very fortunate to be able to provide different shapes of Holy Communion Services here at St Peter's and St John's Adlington - but had you noticed how the services are different and do you have a favourite?
In this month's newsletter 
Church News
Pilgrim Places and Norman Chapel Open Days
One of the lovely things about St Peter’s is how many passers-by and village visitors we see in the church, monastic garden and churchyard during the week and at weekends. Some are tourists and some are what we might call ‘pilgrims’, church goers from other churches or those with no faith but drawn in some way to visit our place of faith.
The ‘Pilgrim Places’ initiative led by Faith in the North has provided information leaflets and prayers for these pilgrims and these have been much in demand at St Peter’s over this summer.
The Norman Chapel Summer Open Days have seen a total footfall of over 500 people – some of these being just passers-by, but others having travelled some distance specifically to visit and experience this special place of peace and spirituality.
During the colder months the Norman Chapel will just be open for special services and events. If you still have not been inside yet, look out on our notices and social media for dates and details.
Thoughts on living water
If you were inspired by our Season of Creation service, or by other events you attended during the Season of Creation, you might be interested in supporting a charity or action group that works for cleaner water, and to protect our wonderful rivers, lakes and seas. Here are a few that may be of interest:
The Rivers Trust is an umbrella organisation for about 65 individual river trusts around the UK, and works for wild, healthy and natural rivers. They offer people the chance to volunteer with them, campaign, or donate to support their work.
River Action UK is a campaigning organisation with several current campaigns on sewage pollution, agricultural and chemical pollution. They look to be more of a campaigning group than a practical conservation group.
Surfers Against Sewage campaigns for clean oceans, rivers and lakes for wildlife and people, with particular focus on sewage and plastics pollution. Not just for surfers!
Finally, thinking about water close to home, the Canal & River Trust looks after 2000 miles of canals and rivers in the UK, including our own Macclesfield Canal. They have a local volunteer group so might be of interest to those who prefer practical volunteering.
Lastly, not a charity but an event: there is a late addition to the Season of Creation programme: on Tuesday 13 October at 7.30 pm in St Michael’s Church, Macclesfield, a talk from Chair of the Mersey Rivers Trust Dr Keith Hendry with the intriguing title “Dirty Business in the Bollin”. Entry is free. This sounds like a great chance to hear what is being done, and could be done, to protect and enhance our own beautiful local living water.
Social Justice and Environment Hub
Service for the Bereaved: Sunday 1 November 4.30pm
At this annual All Souls Service we remember all those we have loved and lost and placed in God’s hands over the years. Families who have held a funeral at any of our churches in the last two years receive a personal invitation, but everyone is very welcome to join us at the service, complete a memorial card and light a candle of remembrance if they wish.
It is a special evening and many people find they gain comfort from the words and music and from the actions of contributing their loved one’s name and lighting a candle for them, even if their bereavement is from many years ago.
The service is followed by refreshments in St Peter’s Rooms where there will be space and time to talk and reminisce.
The shape of our Holy Communion Services
Last month we used a slightly different shape of Holy Communion Service for our Contemporary Communion Service at 10.30am. Here is a guide to the our Holy Communion Services - why each is special, and how we hope each helps you to encounter God.
On Sundays at 8.30am we use the 1662 Holy Communion Service. We often think of this as the most traditional language & shape of Communion, but in this Service Cranmer dramatically changed the shape of earlier worship, moving the focus of communion from consecration to receiving the bread and wine. For us at 8.30am, the service words are all said and not sung, there are no hymns and we do not share the peace at this Service. It is shorter than our Communion Services at 10.30am - it is quiet, gentle and with a holy feel as we receive the bread and wine at the sanctuary rail.
All our other Communion Services use the Anglican 'Common Worship' resources. These follow a shape of Holy Communion that dates back to the 4th Century, as do many of the prayers. This Service has a familiar pattern which includes the following elements described below using their church descriptions (and more familiar terms!).
Gathering for worship, Confession (saying sorry), Gloria (Glory to God in the highest), Collect (a special themed prayer for the day), Bible readings and Sermon, the Creed (saying what we believe), Prayers, the Peace, a Communion Prayer, the Lord's Prayer, Fraction (the breaking of the bread), Invitation (when we are invited to share in the bread and wine), Reception (receiving the bread and wine or a blessing), Thanksgiving Prayer, and the Blessing & Dismissal (sending out).
On Wednesdays, our mid-week 10.30am Communion is a said service and although across both Sundays and Wednesdays we vary which of the Communion prayers, confessions and Credal statements we use, the main difference on Sundays is how singing shapes the service. The emphasis on different types of music doesn't mean that the liturgical words are lost, and we see why this is so below.
Our Blue Book Communion has all the ingredients listed above with four hymns, a sung Gloria, sung Sanctus (the Holy, Holy, Holy) and a sung Agnus Dei (The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world). The singing is supported by the "Come and Sing" choir and music from the organ. The Eucharistic Prayer is sometimes taken from an additional resource called "Joining with Angels Song" which is a collection where the prayer draws on and reflects the day's readings, and this allows us to reflect and encounter God in different ways.
We also have three Services on screen:
A 'Behold the Lamb' Service In this gentle and popular service many of the service elements above are woven together with music: our usual sung Gloria is replaced by a hymn or other song of praise, the Eucharistic prayer is interspersed with verses of the hymn 'Behold the Lamb' which also replaces the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) and there is a post-communion song to allow us to respond to what God has done, during which the collection is taken. The singing at this service is supported by the Music Group.
A Green Order of Service This is the shortest and simplest of our Communion Services and is named purely after the colour of its paper Service Book!. There is no Gloria, or Agnus Dei and no separate Creed or Statement of Faith because the words and feel of these are incorporated into the songs, usually five in number. The singing in this service is also supported by the Music Group.
A Contemporary Communion. This is our newest shape of Service and the main difference is that our songs sometimes flow from one to another and several songs may be sung or blended together. This makes a journey or thought process of music which leads us in worship in a different way and the repetition allows us to focus on God moving rather than just the song words alone. Just like when we sing a Taize song or listen to an anthem.
In this informal service, the confession is incorporated within the first group of songs and has spoken words with gentle music underneath. As with the Green Order of Service what we believe is sung and communicated through sung worship rather than said. The Collect, Bible readings, sermon, prayers and Lord's Prayer all flow into each other in a time of focus, without being separated with hymns. The Communion Prayer starts after the Holy, Holy, Holy because other elements are part of the sung worship before. We receive bread and wine or a blessing as in the Behold the Lamb Service and giving thanks for this is similar. The singing at this service is accompanied by the Worship Band and has a more contemporary style.
All our Holy Communion services may be different but still distinctly Anglican, and like Cranmer, when he 'cut and pasted' to reshape Communion, we follow in his footsteps, reshaping our worship for our mission today.
What is the most important part of the Service?
Cranmer thought that the most important part of the Service was the receiving of the Bread and Wine, in our Services where else do you encounter God?
If you have questions about any of our worship services or would like to continue the conversation about where you encounter God, don't hesitate to ask! and if you would like get more familiar with our new music, links to new songs will be added to the newsletter so that you can listen at home. We are also putting together a St Peter's Spotify worship playlist which will be shared over the next few months - this has new worship songs and some different version of old favourites too - so we can really raise the roof when in church!
Patrick
Exploring Jesus and Confirmation Preparation
We have already met for three Monday evenings at St Peter's for our Exploring Jesus and Confirmation groups and the discussions have been times of laughter and growth. Exploring at St Peter's sessions are creative, friendly and not about what 'you know' but about how we grow in faith together. In this series we are following on from the Bible Course we completed in the summer by 'Exploring Jesus' through the eyes of some people who met him. Each session is independent and so anyone is welcome even if you can only make one evening - who knows the character for the week might be one of your favourites!
We will not be meeting on Monday 5 October but will gather again on Monday 12 October and 19 October and 2, 9 and 16 November at 7.15pm in St Peter's Rooms for refreshments (and there is always cake) until 9.15pm.
October's Worship
St Peter's, Sunday Worship
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8.30am
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9.15am
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10.30 am
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4.30pm
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Sunday
October
4th
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Holy
Communion
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Holy Communion
Behold the Lamb
with Young Church
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Cathedral
Evensong
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Sunday
October
11th
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Holy
Communion
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Family
Service
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Cathedral
Evensong
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Sunday
October
18th
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Holy
Communion
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Breakfast Church
St Peter's rooms
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Holy Communion
Come and Sing Choir
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Cathedral
Evensong
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Sunday
October
25th
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Holy
Communion
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Contemporary
Communion
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Celtic
Prayer
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Sunday
November
1st
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Holy
Communion |
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Holy Communion
Behold the Lamb
Young Church |
A Service
for
those who mourn
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St John's, Sunday Worship
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11.00am
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Sunday 4th October
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Morning Worship |
Sunday 11th October
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Morning Worship
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Sunday 18th October
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Morning Worship
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Sunday 25th October
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Holy Communion
Behold the Lamb
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Sunday 1st November
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Morning Worship |
Weekday Worship at St Peter's and St John's
Day and Time
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Activity
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Place
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Monday at 9.00am
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Morning Prayer
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St Peter's Rooms
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Wednesday at 10.30am
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Holy Communion
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St Peter's
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Thursday at 9.30am
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Morning Prayer
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St John's
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2nd & 4th Thursday (in term time) 10.15am
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Pram Service
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St Peter's
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Prayer Resources
Weekly Prayer topics
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The social services
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All who work in the criminal justice system
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Victims and perpetrators of crime
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The work of aid agencies throughout the world
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Those living in poverty or under oppression
Praying for those who are sick
Steve Murphy
Les Manchester
Praying for those who have died
Audrey Bradley
Michael Gandy
Geoffrey Richards
Dorothy Rowlinson
Nigel Jones
Graham Lewis
Closing Thoughts
As we listen to armchair experts casting judgement and passing verdicts, be it on football finance, drug dealers or tax and benefit fraudsters it reminds us that one day we will stand before the judgement seat of God. Keith's two poems, like the armchair experts views, give us two very different judgments, only one is Gods' but do we know which?
Judgement Day: One
We look over the edge
And we shudder with dread
At the black hole that’s dragging us in
We cling to our past
But submit at the last
Knowing here’s where our end must begin
We willed only the means
Unconcerned with the ends
Deaf to the urging to make our amends
Now reluctantly fashion
Belated compassion
Sucked into a vortex we cannot imagine
Can this be the ultimate end
That God in his anger intends?
Only darkness survives
nothing left of our lives
Dies Irae the Day of The Dread
Judgement Day: Two
Welcome home, weary one.
It’s been a long long journey
And I’ve waited long for you.
Watched you, loved you, walked with you,
grieved to see you stumble, fall away
from my outstretched and saving arms.
Now let me wash the dust from aching feet
and wipe the tears of toil from your eyes
that I have made and loved.
You were always mine although
you didn't know it, or denied it.
Or simply didn’t dare
to claim me as your own.
But here today you’ve made it to the ending
of your long and weary pilgrimage to Grace.
Rest on my breast a while
till you regain the strength
to dance and feast with us
as well-beloved of the Trinity.
This is your joyous brightest Day of Judgement
when spite of all the fears and failures you are judged
an honoured guest to be enfolded in
the everlasting fellowship of love
that I have waited ages past to give you.
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.
28/09/2026