It's Your Move

Over the month of June we went into each of our parish Primary Schools – Brierley, Hungerford, Gainsborough and Wistaston Green, to work with children about to move up to high school. Jacky and I led an hour lesson with each Year 6 class, talked to them about their move to high school and gave them a book called ‘It's Your Move’. Altogether we gave out over 180 books to children in these schools, funded by generous donations from church members.

The book explores the hopes for the coming secondary school, the things that will be missed from primary school, and the fears of moving into the unknown. We end with some reflections on the fact that while all things are moving, God is still with them, and he will never leave them.

July is a time of ends, and people moving on to new things. Many young people will have had exams and results – and will be leaving behind schools and universities for new opportunities and new beginnings.

It's also a time of change for our Curate, Jacky Wise, with her ordination as Priest on 19th June. She has passed another milestone in her ministry, and new opportunities will be opening up for her in the coming months.

Another item raised in this month’s magazine is the call for us to offer a hand. There are so many things going on in our churches, and the work tends to fall to the same small group of people. It's no wonder that they feel tired – so maybe it's time to think again about what you are doing to support your church? Maybe you’ve been more involved in the past, and are now taking a break – maybe it's time for a new challenge? Whatever time or talents you can offer would be really appreciated, it will help build up our church life, and be an offering to God.

The thing that I appreciate is that whenever we do some church cleaning or helping out in any way – it always ends up as a time of fellowship, an opportunity for a chat and a chance to get to know people better. Fellowship, spending time together and belonging to one another are very important aspects of church life – and I’d like to encourage this.

Whether it's chatting over strawberries and cream, discussing movies, books or the history of Crewe – or even learning how to arrange flowers – there is a lot on offer. I hope you can get more involved and take the opportunities. It's your move.