You can download the February 2015 parish magazine in PDF format using the link below. Click here to download The parish magazine is in Adobe PDF format, if you can’t view the magazine you can download a reader at adobe.com.
This is the first magazine of 2015, so I would like to begin with wishing you a Happy New Year.
This time last year I was writing about the imminent dismantling of the old church building, and inviting people to a service that we held to commemorate its place in the community. We had a really good turn out, so thank you to those who supported that, and came to tea at the Centre afterwards. It was a moving service and I was encouraged by the number of people who came
We are determined that the old site will continue to be a sacred space where people can come to sit, reflect or pray. We are working with Groundworks to take the ideas that have come from the community and turn them into a workable plan to include the War Memorial and an attractive seating area. We are now looking for funding to take the plans forward. People have been offering to contribute, either with funds or with time and skills. The more we can work together to put the plans into place, the more it will be a genuine community project that will be sustainable and we can be proud of. Let us know if you would like to help.
With the old building gone, there is the opportunity and challenge to continue to develop a place of worship in Stanley that people will want to use for the important occasions in life when people naturally turn to the church: weddings, baptisms and funerals. The place we are seeking to develop is the old nursery building we are using now. From the outside, architecturally it is clearly a school. We are looking for ways to transform its identity so that it is clearly a place of Christian worship as well as a place to serve the community in other ways.
The council have kindly agreed for an Asset Transfer of the building to us for 25 years. If we are going to do major work on it, it would be helpful to have a longer lease, and we are in discussions about that now. Please pray that they will be successful. We would welcome ideas from the village, so if you feel inspired, please get in touch.
Rev Bill Henderson
Life of Pi is an adventure drama film based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel of the same name. Directed by Ang Lee, the film stars Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Gérard Depardieu, Tabu, and Adil Hussain.
The storyline revolves around an Indian man named Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, living in Canada and telling a novelist about his life story and how at 16 he survives a shipwreck in which his family dies, and is stranded in the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Life of Pi emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning over $609 million worldwide. It was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards which included the Best Picture – Drama and the Best Director and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. At the 85th Academy Awards it had eleven nominations, including Best Picture, and won four (the most for the evening) including Best Director for Ang Lee.
Free admission, tea & coffee, but bring your own popcorn!
Film shown at St Peter’s Church, Lake Lock Road, doors open 7pm
You can download the December 2014/January 2015 parish magazine in PDF format using the link below. Click here to download The parish magazine is in Adobe PDF format, if you can’t view the magazine you can download a reader at adobe.com.
Based on the 1938 book of the same name by Richard and Florence Atwater, ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’ is a comedy about how the surprise appearance of a penguin at a New York businessman’s door turns his life completely upside down, while simultaneously teaching him an important lesson about the value of family. Mr Popper (Jim Carrey) lives in an exclusive Park Avenue apartment, has his sights set on becoming a partner in his firm, and is an every-other-weekend father to his two children. A ruthless developer with no time for anything but business, he resolves to deal with his father’s parting gift of a penguin by getting rid of the annoying bird as quickly as possible. That proves much more difficult than expected, even with the help of his ultra-efficient assistant Pippi, who speaks primarily in p’s, and he soon winds up with six penguins. Even more unexpected is how markedly those penguins begin to affect the relationship between Mr. Popper and his children and how that change affects the rest of Mr. Popper’s life. This is a delightful, fun film that will entertain the whole family.
Free admission, tea & coffee, but bring your own popcorn!
Film shown at St Peter’s Church, Lake Lock Road, doors open 7pm
I came across this picture some years ago, as an idea for a Christmas card. It’s a picture that set me thinking about a number of messages that are important for Christmas.
The focus of the picture is Jesus as a baby, but with the star that shows this is not an ordinary baby. The star is a symbol of his power and glory, his light and role as guide and revealer of the truth.
Jesus is the one whom people are coming to see and to meet. The people are from different cultures yet all are attracted to see Jesus. The Bible and Christian history are full of stories of people meeting Jesus and their lives being transformed. If our Christmas is going to start with Christ, this means taking time to think what this means.
I would like to encourage you to use this picture to think about Christmas and your place in the story. Where would you put yourself in the picture? What would it mean to meet with Jesus? How would you like your life and your relationships to be transformed?
With all the rush and bustle of Christmas, it is sometimes hard to keep the focus on Jesus. With all the crowds it is sometimes hard to really meet with each other.
Please take the opportunity to come to some of the events advertised in this magazine; decide to start this Christmas with Christ and show his love to one another.
Rev Bill Henderson
You can download the November 2014 parish magazine in PDF format using the link below. Click here to download The parish magazine is in Adobe PDF format, if you can’t view the magazine you can download a reader at adobe.com.
An ideal film to watch as we remember 100 years since the start of World War 1, ‘Private Peaceful’ is an adaptation of the brilliant best-selling novel by Michael Morpugo. It tells the story of the unbreakable bond between two brothers during World War 1, in which they are transported from childhood innocence in the fields of Devon to the violence of the battlefield in Flanders. In the trenches they experience the brutal injustice of war, far removed from rural family life, and their rivalry for the beautiful Molly Monks. Directed by Pat O’Connor and with an all-British cast including George MacKay, Jack O’Connell and Maxine Peake, this is a powerful and emotional tale of injustice, love, heroism, and fierce family ties that will never be broken.
Free admission, tea & coffee, but bring your own popcorn!
We are moving towards the end of 2014 already. The clocks have gone back and the dark evenings are drawing in but we are seeing the beautiful autumn colours beginning to show as we move into the next season.
Plans are also progressing for the site of the old church. The idea is to make it a place that people will want to come and visit; a place for reflection; a place to tell stories of Christ, the church and the community. Plans will be on display from 17th November and there will be a drop-in day on Friday 21st November. It would be helpful if you have any ideas to hear from you.
A theme this month is ‘remembering’. We had the Memorial Service for people who have died recently on October 26th. Thank you to all those who came and stayed on for tea and cakes; there was a real sense of supporting each other at a difficult time. The Remembrance Service for those who have been killed in wars will be at 10am on Sunday November 9th. As part of the service we will go over to the site of the War Memorial to place poppies and wreaths there. Do come and join us.
Each of these services are different, and at each we do more than just remember. We are bringing God into a situation that is painful. We show respect and show how we value the lives of those who have died. We say thank you for what they have given us. Sadly, as we look around today, the prospects for world peace are not very good. It is truly shocking as we observe what human beings do to each other, for example the terrible actions of ISIS and others: cycles of violence that only seem to escalate.
We can be left feeling helpless but there are some things we can do. We remember with thanks the death of Jesus; a death that was not in vain as we show each time we respond to Him. Jesus was also the great peacemaker, and lays down a challenge for us: love your enemies; do not keep a record of wrongs; forgive one another. We may not be able to effect world peace, but we can be peacemakers in our families and community.
Rev Bill Henderson
A date for your diary in November. On Sunday 9th November at 10am will be our Remembrance Sunday Parade service.
Join us as we remember those who gave their lives while in service to their community and their country. The service will be attended by uniformed group.