April 2005

Dear Friends,

At the end of February the PCC spent a day at St. John's Mill considering your responses to the 'Growing a Healthy Church Survey'.
We are grateful for the excellent response – on average we received about 80 replies.
Having processed the information you provided the PCC attempted to build up a profile of St. Peter's – how do we see ourselves? What is the essence or personality of St. Peter's?
This is how we picture the Church: it is warm, welcoming and friendly but there is a degree of cosiness that could lead to complacency.
We likened St. Peter's to a rather slow, gentle and slightly muddled, well meaning aunt whom most people enjoy meeting and many are busily involved in supporting her. She is a little old fashioned and hesitant about change. Not many of the younger generation visit on a regular basis – perhaps they think she is a fuddy-duddy and her house is completely different from what they are used to.
She likes her own home and doesn't like venturing too far from it but she is eager that others should come and enjoy the welcome and fellowship of her home. Often aunt appears like a little child hiding behind her mother's skirts.
Another image of St. Peter's that came to mind was that of a flower waiting to bloom – the potential is there – it just needs to burst into life and be noticed by all around.
There is much to encourage and be thankful for in this image and it also helps us to look and plan for the future.
We need to come out from behind our mother's skirts and be more missionary minded as we move beyond the Church. We need to look to the Lord to move us outwards in mission and we need to look at ourselves to see how 'outsiders' view us and focus on our strength of being a welcoming and friendly Church.
The next step the PCC will be taking is to draw up and implement an action plan that will move us forward in those areas which we feel the Lord is directing us.
Our actions will be focused on one or two areas rather than spreading our efforts widely and we will plan a step at a time rather than rushing headlong in lots of directions at once – we need to do a few things and do them well.
Please pray for the PCC as they progress this exercise remembering that a healthy Church is one that reflects the life of Christ – he is the one on whom we are modelling ourselves, he is the one through whom we receive the Holy Spirit who enables us to grow into a Healthy Church.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Yours sincerely in Jesus' Name,

Malcolm Convery

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Please make a note in your diary of the AGM ON 19th April at 7.30 pm in the Parish Hall.

This is a very important meeting in the Church calendar. Reports are presented and elections take place and afterwards we are able to enjoy fellowship together by sharing in the refreshments.

A good turn out on this occasion is encouraging to myself and the officers of the Church and it is not only an expression of your interest and support for St. Peter's but also an expression of your gratitude for all that God is doing in this place.

Looking forward to seeing you.
Vicar

Thank you for your generous Easter Offertory.
It is much appreciated.

Vicar

FLOWER FESTIVAL 2005

We are taking part is this years festival (3rd – 10th July).

We are holding a meeting on Thursday 7th April at 7.00 pm in Church for anyone prepared to help with flower arrangements, stewarding, and/or baking. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would be prepared to help please let Jane know (675797) – thank you.

VISITING PREACHERS

During the next few months several visiting preachers will be lending a helping hand now that Les has moved on.

Our visitors in April are:

3rd 6.30 pm Margaret Burrow (St. Ninians)
10th 6.30 pm Charles Flynn (All Saints)
24th 6.30 pm Canon Hinton Bird (retired Vicar of Rushen)

Hopefully Canon Bird will become a regular helper.

ALL AGE WORSHIP SERVICE
WHEN:
Sunday 10th April 4pm – 5pm
Where:
St. Peter's Church, Onchan
Who:
These services are open to all ages.
What next:
We will continue on subsequent months on the
2nd Sunday

LENTEN LUNCHES

Thank you for supporting our Lenten Lunches this year and a big thank you to all the helpers.

The money we have raised will be distributed to the following:

The Manx Special Olympics
The Women's Refuge
"Alfie's Room", Onchan School
The Fishermen's Mission
The Parish Hall Appeal

We look forward to seeing you at our Friendship Lunch on
Wednesday, 26th October, 2005.

SUCCESS

Thanks to Colin Clague for offering his services as a photographer in response to the appeal in last months magazine.

LADIES FELLOWSHIP

Again we had two very different meetings last month. The first was Canon Convery speaking about 'The Diary of a Country Parson' when we learnt about some of his 'previous lives'.
The second meeting was more a tea and chat where we did talk about and swap some spring cleaning tips.
The group is not meeting on the 6th April and please note that the evening walk at Ballannette on 20th April will commence from the house car park at 7.00 pm. If anyone wishes to know how to get there please phone 623168.
The box monies collected for the Leprosy Mission and Children's Society were £335.54 and £215.49 respectively. If I didn't get your box this year I will next!

Thank you.
Hazel Johnson


MOTHERS' UNION

Mrs Elaine Christian chairperson of the Methodist Ladies Network was our speaker on the 1st March. Her talk about "The Life of Nellie Brennan" was enjoyed by all. Mrs Christian herself having been a nurse was well able to cover her subject.
Women World Day of Prayer this year was held at St. Peter's and ladies from both groups took part in that service.
Thank you to all who helped with the posies for Mothering Sunday, and to all those people who have helped over the weeks of Lent with our Lent Lunches.
The Vicar took our service in Church for Holy Week and this was followed with tea and Hot Cross buns.
The evening group held a most enjoyable clay workshop at the home of Wendy Allen making crosses. We are now eagerly waiting to see the results of our work.

Valerie Convery

PARISH HALL – thanks to so many!

First of all a big thank you to Dawn Kewley for organising yet another successful sale of baby clothes, equipment, toys and maternity wear – it brought in over £106 for the Appeal Fund which means that since the start of the Appeal Dawn has raised over £500, towards the refurbishment. Well done Dawn and thank you! The next sale is already planned for Wednesday, 15th June at 7.30 pm in the Parish Hall. Please continue to support Dawn and the Appeal.

Next a big thank you to Jules of Onchan and Castletown for putting on such a fantastic Fashion Extravaganza which raised £1,000 and to all the ladies who in supporting the show seemed to have a great night out. Not forgetting the lone male in the audience – will he ever forget that little black dress?

The models were lovely and the fashions were great, and if you haven't already popped into the Main Road shop then go along – you'll be made very welcome and if there's a husband don't forget his wallet! Not forgetting amongst the thank you's everyone who helped with the evening, from the flowers to the nibbles (very mouth-watering) to the beautifully decorated tables, the screens lent by the Tourist Department and of course the wine – courtesy of the Manx Co-op who supplied Fair Trade wine and didn't it go down well ladies!

And it didn't stop there – you just cannot keep a good bunny down! A big thank you to Mildred Cooper, for letting us have the use again of her lovely home and garden, Woodlands, for an Easter Coffee Morning. With cake and Easter fancy goods stall, a raffle, guess the birthday of the chickens and a Lucky Chance Egg game, and egg painting – many thanks to the Vicar for acting as judge – an egg hunt and an egg roll Woodlands resounded to the sound of laughter and chatter (there were over 40 children this year) and with many from the Mums & Tots supporting the appeal the coffee morning raised £470. Thanks and well done everyone especially the many helpers. Where would we be without you!

And watch this space – details soon of more events in support of the Appeal. Perhaps a repeat of the hugely successful "Pimms & Ploughman's", a jazz brunch and ……. well you'll have to watch this space.

Nigel Cretney

THE JOY OF UNSELFISH GIVING

Time is not measured by the years that you live
But by the deeds that you do and the joy that you give –
And each day as it comes brings a chance to each one
To love to the fullest, leaving nothing undone
That would brighten the life or lighten the load
Of some weary traveller lost on Life's Road –
So what does it matter how long we may live
If as long as we live we unselfishly give.

Helen Steiner Rice

FROM THE REGISTERS

BAPTISMS

James Collins, Samuel David Hart, Millie Eva Rowe,
Jayna Jacqueline Orton, Nathan James Thompson,
Matthew Thomas McNee, Joshua Thomas Williams,
Hannah Elizabeth Kermode.

Funerals

Sheila Kelly, Doris Wood, Annie Isabel Bell, Annie Evans,
June Cooper, Vera Pease, Harold Jones

OFFERTORY

The offertory for February totalled £5,078.81 and was made up of £3,776.08 pledged giving and £1,302.73 of loose plate giving

Thank you.

Leprosy Mission Envelopes
£166.40 collected and sent to The Leprosy Mission.