Friday Night Open Youth Club

St Paul's open youth club restarts for the autumn in the Barnabas Centre (behind St Paul's) this Friday, 5 October. Louise McGoldrick, our new youth worker, supported by a number of members of St Paul's, will be leading an attractive mix of activities for young people.

If you are of middle-school age and want something to do this Friday evening, do come along at 7 pm onwards and join the others – to chill out or get involved.

Those in the Background – Thank You!

If you attend any church, including St Paul's, it's natural to notice those up front – the Vicar or other ministers and perhaps those doing the readings and leading the prayers, and perhaps the music group.

But in order for our services to take place there are a mass of other people working in the background. But it's easy to forget their contribution. This picture of Dave Smith who faithfully tends the grounds each week reminds us of the many others who clean, make coffee, care for children, do repairs or run the audiovisual system – and I must have left some out.

It's an important teaching of the Bible that we all have different gifts. And we should use them all in serving God. As St Paul wrote: "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17

Thank you, so much, to all who help our church run smoothly.

The Police in Our Prayers.

This last fortnight, the police have been much in our thoughts. The report of the Hillsborough disaster reminded us of the consequences of them making the wrong split second decision and the temptation to misuse the position of authority. But this week, the cold-blooded murders of Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes, police officers from Manchester, reminded us of all that is good in the police service and of the risks that police officers carry out everyday on our behalf.

Like many other churches across the country, we held a one-minute silence during the morning service and we used the following prayer, written by the Bishop of Manchester.

Almighty God, we pray for all who, at this time, mourn Fiona and Nicola. We ask for your comfort and strength to be especially with their loved ones and colleagues.

And as we pray too for those who continue to be in danger from this violence, we give thanks for the constant courage, and devotion to duty, of the police, and all who take risks to protect our communities. May they be strengthened for the tasks they face and supported in the commitment they give, that they may further the well-being of all and enable our society to be loving, just and at peace.

We ask this in the name of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

To those who serve in the police force, we say "thank you" and you are in our prayers as you go about your daily job.

Where Next?

One of the biblical proverbs is "Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18)." So we invited Mike Harrison, the Leicester Diocesan Director of Mission and Ministry to direct our thoughts as we tried to consider which priorities we believe that God is leading us into.

After our regular morning communion service (at which we welcomed Mr Liam Powell: see previous post) we held a communal lunch. Would people provide enough to be able to share? Answer: everyone was well fed with plenty over.

We then stayed, grouped at our tables, as Mike encouraged us to do some "blue sky thinking." Where would we like St Paul's to be in 2020? Each table was asked to write a newspaper front page detailing what had been done, were it to actually have been achieved (including a catchy headline).

When these were read out, each table was asked to select two priorities. Similar ones were grouped and the results recorded on the whiteboard at the front. Each member was then given three "votes" (sticky dots) which they stuck on the board over the three priorities that appealed to them. Having established some priorities, much work will have to be done in fleshing out the details.

It sounds like some busy Church Council Meetings for the future! But if the procedure has helped us establish God's will and has given each of us a vision for the future, it will be well worthwhile.

Our Prayers and Best Wishes for Manor High School's New Head

St Paul’s values our many links with the local community. However, Manor High School, the local middle school, has a special place in our affection as it was there that the first services were held which eventually developed into St Paul's Church. Since then, our Vicars have regularly been invited to take assemblies there.

When Mrs Sheila Major was first appointed as Head Teacher at Manor, some eight years ago, we were thrilled when she came to St Paul's and told us of her hopes for the school and we prayed for her and her work.

Now, as she has retired, she returned to this Sunday morning’s service and told us how the school has developed, including its new status as an Academy. We were thrilled that her successor, Mr Liam Powell came with her and told of his hopes for the future.

Steve then prayed for Mrs Major in her retirement and Mr Powell as he faces the new challenges. He also prayed for the work of all the staff and students of Manor High School. We look forward to continued links there.

Will we see you?

For a number of years, many churches in England have celebrated "Back to Church Sunday." This year, this is on Sunday 30 September and St Paul's will again be taking part.

Sometimes, people have drifted away from church, not because of a rejection of their faith, but because they met a time in their professional or family life which was particularly busy, or because a move to a new area severed the link with their old church.

Back to Church Sunday is the opportunity for people to come back easily to what they once held precious. Here, at St Paul's, our service is at 10 am and will be led by our Vicar, Steve Bailey, and the preacher will be the Rector of the parish, Michael Rusk.

Why not come and join us? You will be very welcome.

Welcome Lou!

At an our morning service, today, Steve welcomed our new Youth Worker, Louise McGoldrick. Lou then told us a little about herself, a Leicester lass, being born and brought up in Leicestershire, going to shools in Oadby and then taking a Social Work degree at De Montfort University.

She shared how, during her time at university, God had convinced her that she should be undertaking some full-time Christian Service. She had subsequently spent two years at St Luke's Thurnby training in Christian Ministry and Youth Work. She also spoke of her concern for young people and how she wished to make Christ known.

We look forward to her time among us and promise her our prayers for the work she will be doing as she builds on the work that Ellie Williams established last year.

Bring on the Paralympics

The Paralympics are upon us – a wonderful reminder of the value of the lives of people who may be disabled in one aspect but are marvellously able in others. (For those who are PC minded, I am sorry about the word "disabled" but at least people know what it means and I find the word "alternatively abled" ludicrous.)

Celebrating the value of disabled people is something that is at the core of the Christian message. Christ made it clear that he did not come for the fit and healthy but for those who had needs – in whatever aspect of their life that might be. It's a message that is reinforced at St Paul's when visitors may be surprised to find the service being led by myself, as one of its lay ministers, from a wheelchair.

When I joined St Pauls, the then vicar, Brian Robertson, asked me what I could offer to St Paul's and then asked: "have you ever thought of becoming a lay reader (a lay minister). When I suggested that I had dismissed the idea as I was in a wheelchair, his response was that if this was from God, the problems could be overcome. I have now served St Paul's as a lay reader for eight years.

Society has often been very slow to recognise the value of people with disabilities – as was shown in the recent BBC film "The Best of Men." And, despite the words of Jesus, the church has often been slow to do that, too. But, praise God, when society and the church actually do realise the immense value of those with disabilities. So it's wonderful, now, to be celebrating in the Paralympics, the skills of those who have overcome immense problems.

I am sure that we will all be looking forward to watching their athleticism.

Going for Gold

Our monthly All Age Service, today, coincided with the final day of the Olympics. No one was in doubt as they arrived that this was to be special as the church was decked in bunting and flags.

Early in the service, the children carried models of the Olympic flame around the outside of the church, reminding us that just as the Olympic torch brought good news of the coming Olympics, so we have good news of the love of Christ to pass on.

The international aspect of both the Olympics and the Christian church was reflected in a quiz in which the congregation identified 10 national flags. (They were a bit slow on Burundi). Then the children brought forward a number of national flags and placed them in containers on the Holy Table.

Another quiz identified which of 10 actions found in the Bible are the basis of an Olympic sport To some people's surprise, these included archery, sailing and the javelin. However, synchronised swimming missed out!

During our talk, we looked at the way that St Paul used the analogy of an athlete training, running the race, and receiving a prize as teaching on the way that we should be prepared to run the Christian race with its final glorious prize of being in the presence of God.

Celebrating a Marriage

St Pauls is not a pretty mediaeval country church, as a result, we are not inundated with wedding services. So last Saturday was special, when we had the joy of the marriage of Eleanor to Lewis. Eleanor’s mother is our current churchwarden, while her father is one of our readers (lay ministers) and a former warden. So this was very much a family occasion for the church. Lewis is an enthusiastic footballer and his team colleagues contributed to the squash in the packed church.

Steve reminded us that marriage is a God-given gift for society and he spoke of four different aspects of love (that are actually different words in Greek) and how Eleanor and Lewis will need all of them in their life together.

We wish them all God's blessings in the future.