The first Sunday in May will see our Confirmation Service. This is when people make a public commitment to follow Christ, and receive a special prayer from our Bishop. I am thrilled that this year there will be 10 people standing up to do this.  It is encouraging and fascinating to hear about each person’s journey of faith.  For some this year, a key factor has been through being a parent and thinking about what is best for their children.  As they have thought about asking for God’s blessing and having their child baptised, it has encouraged them to think about their own faith.  As they have come to explore what they believe and experience worship, they have discovered the living God, who can enrich our every day lives.

It has been interesting to follow some of the debate about whether we are a Christian country or not.  What has emerged is a clear picture that our society is based on Christian values and laws.  While it is true that only a small proportion of our society go to church regularly, a very high proportion identify themselves as Christian.  This is  particularly true of the village of Stanley. It is of course important to emphasise the value of tolerance of other points of view without losing confidence in our own faith.

I believe that there are many people who are being nudged into thinking about what they believe about God and wondering about  coming to church. Let me encourage you to stop putting it off and come along. We are not perfect but are friendly and would love to meet you.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the first World War.  While we do not celebrate war, we do remember those who have given their lives fighting for our nation.  The day I am writing this letter, is the day we have been planting poppy seeds in three places in the village; near the Church Centre, at St Peter’s school and at Stanley Grove School.  This has been happening throughout the diocese. We said prayers that the poppies would help us remember people who had lost their lives.  We will watch as the plants grow and witness the amazing transformation of a tiny seed into a beautiful flower.

It is still very strange driving around Stanley without the old church as a landmark and reference.  It is going to be a while before we get used to its absence.  The Easter story reminds us of the possibility for New Life out of death: that painful loss can lead to a future with hope.

Plans are still being formulated for the site of the old church.  We will be looking at what can be done with the stone we are left with and ideas will be on display for peoples comment.

Looking to the future, there is the opportunity and challenge to continue to develop a place of worship in Stanley.  From the outside, architecturally, the church centre is clearly a school and is set back from the street so lacks visibility.  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.

This is an opportunity to think about what is important for us, as we meet together to worship and perhaps looking at different ways from those we have used before. The church is not a building, but the people from the community who follow Christ.  We are the church when we gather to worship, and we are also the church when we scatter to our homes and places of work. We have rich symbols to aid our worship, the cross, water, lit candles, bread and wine, the bible and many more.  There is a challenge in using these symbols well to help our understanding of the living God.

The challenge of developing the Centre is for the whole community.  We want to develop a plan that will be inspiring and be one that people want to support. We will need to work with the council over getting long term security for the site. Then of course the resources to make the plans a reality. Please pray with us as we take these next steps in our life together and look forward to a future of new life and hope.

For the last few years, the March magazine has been published as we begin Lent.  Once again we have an opportunity to use this month as a preparation for the great festival of Easter, with the powerful theme of death and resurrection.  A theme that we see in life around us.

We have seen the dismantling of the old church, with the main part of the building coming down very quickly.  I would like to say thank you to those who came to the outdoor service on February 9th, despite the appalling weather.  A number of people have asked for copies of the service and these are available at the church centre.  As people shared memories, we heard of a couple who had to get married in the crypt because an air raid was going on.  I later got a letter from someone who was married in 1945, but was only discharged from hospital the night before, and had to report to hospital in Blackpool on his honeymoon.  We would like to keep a record of peoples memories and photos and have some of them exhibited in church.

As the old church is taken down we are breathing new life into the church centre.  We have just been able to lay new flooring, due to the support of local funders, and the effect is a dramatic improvement. As I said in last months letter, we are looking for ways to transform its identity from a school so that it is clearly a place of Christian worship as well as a place to serve the community in other ways.  This is another opportunity for the community to work together and achieve something that we can be proud of and serve future generations.

Death and resurrection is a theme we see in nature, partly through the changing seasons, but also through cultivation.  Cutting back plants is a way of encouraging growth, as is digging out weeds and spreading fertiliser.  In our spiritual life there are many ways of applying these principles.  Cutting back can give us a positive reason for giving things up. Jesus was particularly good at spending time in prayer so he knew what to say no to.  The digging up of weeds can also be a picture of cutting out things in our life that are not helpful.

Let this Lent be a time for growth, as we ask the Holy Spirit to make us restless till we change, and prepare for the glorious celebration of Easter.

Rev Bill Henderson

This is the first letter of 2014, so I would like to begin with wishing you a Happy New Year.

This is a very significant month in the life of the community in Stanley.  As you will see elsewhere, it is the month when the old church building will begin to be dismantled.  It will be a great loss to the sky line of the village and many people have fond memories of  special occasions celebrated there. We are inviting people to a service to commemorate the building on 9th February at 3pm.

We have been very encouraged by the support and help as we are planning a legacy for the site of the old building. We are determined that there will continue to be a sacred space where people can come just to sit quietly or to pray. We are commissioning Groundworks to take the ideas that have come from the community and turn them into a workable plan. This will need to take account of ongoing maintenance as well as making it a safe place to be.

As the plans develop we will have consultation days to enable people to give their responses.  As well as coming up with inspired   designs, we will also need the resources to put them into practice.    Already people have been offering to contribute, either their time and skills, or by offering funds.  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.

Looking to the future, there is the opportunity and challenge to continue to develop a place of worship in Stanley.  From the outside, architecturally, the church centre 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.  We have commissioned an architect, Liz Ashmore, and a liturgical consultant, Revd Richard Giles, to help with this.  We would also welcome ideas from the village, so if you feel inspired, please get in touch.

Rev Bill Henderson

Life is a roller coaster for many people. It certainly is for our young people taking exams. The stress and hard work of revising and preparing for exams is then followed by relief and celebrations when the tests are over. Then the build-up of stress waiting for results is followed by either the elation of doing well or the disappointment of not doing as well as expected. Then there is the question of what to do next.  Even those who get a good qualification still face the difficulty of finding a job that will be fulfilling, or that will even just provide enough money to live on. Basically life is stressful, and not just for our young people. It pays to think about how our faith can help us.

Summer is a good time to slow down and check out how things are going in our lives.  Firstly we can take rest seriously. The Bible also teaches the importance of taking time to enjoy our surroundings and our relationships with each other.  Part of the creation story shows God stepping back from creation and seeing that it is good.  This principle of the Sabbath; taking time to appreciate the good things in life, is a great antidote to the pressure to fill our lives with work and activity. Each of us will find different things restful and it is helpful when we understand ourselves enough to know what  works for us.

Secondly we can face up to our concerns, but not get into a state of worry that does not give any benefit: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27). We can place our anxieties with God through prayer.  This does not make our problems disappear, but it does give us resources to deal with them.  Importantly we can have faith and trust in God himself.

There will always be things to worry about in life: whether it is exam results, our own health or that of a friend, finances or the future. We are not called to ignore these things but to bring them to God in prayer. At the same time though, we are encouraged to take time to rest and  to enjoy what is good.

Rev Bill Henderson