St. Mary's Parish Church, Nantwich

Annual Report 2016-2017

Contents

Rector's Introduction Churchwardens' Report Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church The PCC 2016-2017 PCC Secretary's Report Safeguarding of Children and Adults at Risk Policy on the Safeguarding of Children and Adults at Risk Churches Together in Nantwich Nantwich Deanery Synod

A-Z(ish) of Groups within St. Mary's:

Alpha Baptism Belfry Christian Aid Flower Ladies Home Groups:

Alpha Christian Issues Wednesday Night

Housekeeping Team Ladies Breakfast Men's Breakfast Little Fish Messy Church Mission Support Committee Mothers' Union Mums and Tots Music at St Mary's:

Choir Lunchtime Concerts SING!@St. Mary's

Open House Pastoral Care Prayer:

St. Mary's Prayer Group Julian Meeting Thursday Morning Prayer Group

Sacristan & Servers Schools Work Seniors' Lounge Stewards' Team Tapestry Group This Month Visitors' Centre Visits Organiser & School Party Visits Who Let the Dads Out? Youth & Children's Groups:

Church Mice (0-4) Launch Pad (4-7) & Orbit (7-11) Gravity (11+) Friday Nite Live

Rector's Introduction The early months of 2016 were challenging. The church was undergoing a significant re-ordering so that we could introduce two toilets, glass doors to the west end, a lift, disabled ramps into the side chapels, a door into the vestry and a space for a grand piano in the nave. There was a sense of unease both in the church and wider community about what the church would look and feel like after the reordering was completed. Some people were negative and many were sceptical.

The end result met with almost universal approval and it has been acknowledged both nationally and locally that the changes have enhanced both the building and our capacity for ministry. During 2016 six banners, produced by Juliet Hemmingray of Derby, were installed; a grand piano was purchased; and seat pads were made to fit the pews. The end result is both striking and beautiful.

As work on the building came to an end, attention focussed on the Flower Festival in June. This was a major event and was a great success, both in terms of visitor numbers and income generated. It was thanks to the Flower Festival team that we were able to purchase the seat pads for the building.

Once the Flower Festival came to an end, we began to look towards the whole town mission in September. This was an occasion for all of the churches to work together to develop an outward looking approach that would help us to more effectively engage with the community.

Despite a notable fall-off in attendance during the re-ordering, the congregations began to settle after Easter and new people came to join us. To support them we offered a new-comers supper and an Alpha Course in September. Both were well attended.

At the end of March 2016, Vanessa Layfield took responsibility for the on-going pastoral care of our community. Since that time she has developed a committed and enthusiastic team who have created a real sense of forward momentum and initiative. We also welcomed Andrea Clews as our children's worker. It has been a pleasure to see how initiatives such as "Little Fish" and Messy Church have started to flourish in 2017.

These were, of course, just a few highlights of the year. Yet so many other things also happened. St. Mary's continues to thrive because of the love, generosity, hard work and talent of a large number of people who contribute to the life of

our church. This booklet gives a glimpse of some of the amazing things they have achieved, but there is so much more that could and perhaps should be said about them.

I hope you enjoy reading the following reports, because I think they are inspirational. I also hope that we can continue to build upon the wonderful foundations that have been established over the years, so that our shared ministry will continue to flourish.

Barry Wilson, Rector

Churchwardens' Report

As I come to the end of my first year as your Churchwarden, I would like to express my thanks to all the people that have welcomed me into the post.

The contrast between holding the post in a small rural Church and holding it in a Church like St. Mary's has been a huge learning curve.

During the past year I attended a day course run by the Diocese entitled "How to get your Church Noticed". I felt so proud of St. Mary's as we, as a Church, are doing all that was suggested. We

are appealing to all ages, from birth to death. Let's work together to build on an excellent foundation.

From my experience in the past year I have one big concern - COMMUNICATION. Often it appears that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. This can lead to misunderstanding and friction between groups. If anyone knows of a good way to solve this - do let me know.

Finally I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all the volunteers who show great commitment to the Church by carrying out many tasks both within the building and in outreach. Without your help and support this Church could not function.

My thanks also go to all the members of staff - many of whom work well beyond their stated contract.

Last, but not least, you the congregation. You turn up week after week, hail, rain or snow with a smile and a welcoming word. I have not always been able to answer your queries in the past but, now that I have learnt a lot more about the running of St. Mary's, if you need any help or advice

"Do ask me, I am your Churchwarden!" Pat Stalker

Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church On behalf of our Churchwardens we detail below the report on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the church.

It finally happened; the year 2016 saw the completion of the fantastic re-ordering programme of our magnificent church. Two toilets have been installed on either side of the West doors with storage cupboards above all masked by beautiful oak panelling. A lockable door to the Vestry has replaced the blue curtain. A pumping station has been installed which necessitated new drainage routes. The old stair lift was removed and replaced by an hydraulic one. The well-worn wooden ramps have been replaced in stone and sliding glass doors fitted at the West end. Of course, all the West end re-ordering has been fully complimented by the re-hanging of our splendid Silver Jubilee curtains. We must, of course, say a special thank you to our Architects, Jessica Holland and Tony Barton of Donald Insall Associates, and the Contractors, Recclesia who have made this scheme possible. Our thanks go as well to Rev. Stephen Snelling who has ensured full reimbursement of Value Added Tax charged on this scheme. This has been made possible through HMRC allowances and the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

Since installation we have had a sensor fitted to the new sliding glass doors at the West end to ensure that they open automatically on approach from the outside.

However, with any building project there have been some teething troubles, particularly with the flushing mechanism to the disabled toilet. This mechanism has now been completely rewired which seems, so far, to have done the trick.

As promised in our Report last year, a panic alarm system has been installed to protect our lone workers within the Shop and the Church.

The gravestones in All Saints Cemetery have been topple tested for safety as required by Ecclesiastical Insurance.

During the year, we commissioned PCA Safety to carry out a Health & Safety audit and Fire Risk assessment as a result of which the gates at the end of Church Lane were closed from early February this year.

Pew cushions for the comfort of our congregations have been funded by the proceeds from our glorious Flower Festival and were fitted with the assistance of Margaret Wilson.

Plans to move the Shop from the South Porch into the North-West corner of the church are progressing satisfactorily.

In addition to our existing banner a total of five more have been funded. We now have six banners on display proving a splendid decoration to our church. These have been designed and made by Juliet Hemingray Church Textiles of Derby. As well as the banners, they have also designed and made the fall for the Legelium - the portable lectern.

Alan Joslyn has designed and crafted two elegant hymn book trolleys as well as making and fitting wooden replacements for the ropes at the communion rails at both the high altar and St. Nicholas Chapel together with a modesty panel for the leading pew in the south aisle.

During the year, we have ensured that the central heating boilers have been serviced, the roof alarm maintained, lightning protection equipment serviced and inspected, portable appliance testing carried out and the new lift safety checked and a watchful eye kept on all other aspects of the church, inside and out.

Thank you to all the volunteers without whom we would not be able to keep our church open on a daily basis. Also, our thanks go to Glenys Ellis and all members of the Flower Guild who decorate the church for major festivals, weddings, funerals and on a weekly basis.

Our thanks also go to the Tapestry group for maintaining the much admired kneelers throughout the church.

Finally, we should like to thank Margaret Wilson and the Housekeeping team for keeping our church vacuumed, swept, dusted and polished throughout the year.

Deborah Snelling & Nigel Winzer

The PCC 2016-2017

Ex-Officio Members

Rev. Canon Dr Barry Wilson * Incumbent & Chairman Rev. Stephen Snelling * Associate Rector Rev. Kaushal David Curate Mr. Stephen Lockett * Churchwarden & Treasurer Mrs. Pat Stalker * Churchwarden

Elected Members

Mrs. Gill Appleton ) Mr. Bryan Coghlan * ) Deanery Synod Representatives Mrs. Ros Reid ) Elected to serve until APCM 2017 Mrs. Margaret Whitehurst )

Mrs. Angie Bartlett Elected to serve until APCM 2017 Mrs. Belinda Coghlan " Mr. Andrew Kelly " Miss Beth Roberts (Secretary) * " Mr. Simon Russell "

Mrs. Jackie Ford Elected to serve until APCM 2018 Mrs. Marie Hamner " Mr. Nick Hutt "

Mrs. Vanessa Layfield Elected to serve until APCM 2019 Mrs. Kath Leonard " Mr. Paul OBrien * " Mr. Nigel Winzer " Mrs. Dot Woods "

Co-opted Members

Mr. Rob Icke (From January 2017) * Standing Committee Members (including Mr. Nigel Winzer co-opted from April to November)

PCC Secretarys Report

This report covers the church year between the Annual Parochial Church Meetings (APCM) in April.

The original PCC of 22 members became 23 from January when an additional member was co-opted. Members met 8 times. Standing Committee comprised up to 8 members and met on a further 8 occasions when the agendas for PCC meetings were planned and necessary PCC matters progressed, matters were also sometimes progressed by email and approved at the next meeting. Minutes of PCC meetings are displayed on the church noticeboard, once approved at the following meeting.

The PCC has both a Safeguarding Children Co-ordinator and a Safeguarding Adults at Risk Co-ordinator and they have conducted the required audit of our Safeguarding of Children and Adults at Risk policies. The PCC reviewed various risk assessments for special activities through the year.

Members received regular reports on the church finances from the Treasurers of the General and the Restoration & Development Funds, and the spending decisions ensured that any money donated expressly for any specific project was ring fenced.

The major work of the year was overseeing the final funding arrangements for, and the completion of, the re-ordering programme of the church building. Regular reports were received and snagging issues pursued on our behalf (and with our appreciation) by Nigel Winzer, the Rector and the Associate Rector. Following the receipt of the Health and Safety Audit the PCC were required to close the church precincts to parking.

PCC received reports from Deanery Synod and Churches Together in Nantwich as well as the Rector's discussions with the Nantwich Partnership of town council and local businesses. These links enable us to engage with such activities as the soup lunches, Nantwich show, Food Fair, Jazz Festival and Summer Fair as part of our mission to the local community as well as to host the Flower Festival which provided wonderful displays and hospitality to many from further afield too.

Through the year PCC have welcomed Andrea Clews (Children's worker) and Vanessa Layfield (Pastoral Care Co-ordinator) to the ministry team and have been pleased to support various new initiatives including a reinvigorated pre-schoolers and carers meeting "Little Fish" and the provision of a debt management course run in conjunction with CAP (Christians against Poverty). Support was also given to ensure the Mission led by Rev. Canon Roger Simpson, the Archbishop of York's Evangelist as well as the in-house lent course based on the Rhythms of Grace material devised last year.

Beth Roberts (Secretary)

Safeguarding of Children and Adults at Risk The Diocese of Chester and St. Mary's Church understand safeguarding to be an integral part of the life and ministry of our Church. As safeguarding co-ordinators we continue to work together to support group leaders within St. Mary's to ensure:

Volunteers are safely recruited (internal process) and Disclosure and Barring Service checks are applied for as appropriate (external process).

Guidelines and policies are implemented.

All groups have risk assessments and role descriptions for leaders.

In the past year safeguarding incidents have arisen. These are reported to us as co-ordinators and we are supported by the Diocesan Vulnerability and Safeguarding Advisor and other organisations (eg. social services, police, help lines etc.) to refer cases in the correct way. We report information we have been given so each case can be moved forward by the most appropriate person/organisation.

A safeguarding audit was carried out in January. St. Mary's is fully achieving in most areas, the area which requires improvement pertains to training. Safeguarding training is now held at Church House, Daresbury making it more difficult for volunteers to attend. However, with encouragement, gradually volunteers are taking the time to go to the training sessions and are finding them valuable. We currently have 29 out of 65 volunteers with up to date safeguarding training.

The PCC continue to work from the "Diocese of Chester Safeguarding and Vulnerability Policy and Procedures - Safe in Our Care". From this our booklet for volunteers has been produced - "St. Mary's Safeguarding Policy and Good Practice Guidelines for Working with Children and Adults at Risk". Copies of these documents can be found in the Parish Office.

The Parish Policy statement overleaf was reviewed by the PCC in September 2016. Safeguarding reports are given at each PCC meeting.

Belinda Coghlan - Safeguarding Children Co-ordinator Jo McCauley - Safeguarding Adults at Risk Co-ordinator

Policy on the Safeguarding of Children and Adults at Risk This statement was adopted by St. Mary's Church, Nantwich at a Parochial Church Council meeting held on 19th September 2016.

This policy will be reviewed each year to monitor the progress which has been achieved.

1. We recognize that everyone has different levels of vulnerability and that each of us may be regarded as vulnerable at some time in our lives.

2. As members of this parish we commit ourselves to respectful pastoral care for all children and adults to whom we minister.

3. We commit ourselves to the safeguarding of people who may be vulnerable, ensuring their well-being in the life of this church.

4. We commit ourselves to promoting safe practice by those in positions of trust.

5. The parish commits itself to promoting the inclusion and empowerment of people who may be vulnerable.

6. It is the responsibility of each of us to prevent the physical, emotional, sexual, financial and spiritual abuse of vulnerable people and to report any such abuse that we discover or suspect.

7. We undertake to exercise proper care in the appointment and selection of those who will work with people who may be vulnerable.

8. The parish is committed to supporting, resourcing, training and regularly reviewing those who undertake work amongst people who may be vulnerable.

9. The parish adopts the guidelines of the Church of England and the Diocese.

10. Each person who works with vulnerable people will agree to abide by these recommendations and the guidelines established by this church.

This church appoints Belinda Coghlan as Safeguarding Children Co-ordinator and Joanna McCauley as Safeguarding Adults at Risk Co-ordinator. Safeguarding issues, concerns and views will reported at each PCC meeting.

Churches Together in Nantwich (CTiN)

The AGM was held on 6th February 2017. The following Committee were re-elected:

Chair - Rev Barry Wilson Vice chair - Rod Greenhow Secretary - Simon Bowen Treasurer - Jackie Holland

The churches of Nantwich have worked together week by week running:

The Foodbank had its 4th birthday this year. It continues to supply food parcels to those affected by delays in benefits, capped benefits, unemployment, low incomes, sickness and domestic abuse. They now have a larger store room. They supported Christmas Day lunch & YMCA with parcels on Christmas Day. They urgently need weekly support with food donations, money & help.

Street Pastors continue to go out weekly between 11pm & 4am on Friday or Saturday. They just manage to provide a team of 4 to go on the street and another person at base as a prayer pastor and someone at home who also prays for them. Illness and holidays present great problems so they urgently need more volunteers to cover this area. The police are very grateful for the work that the Pastors do, helping youngsters in trouble, supplying first aid and helping with all manner of problems that arise in our night time economy.

Soup Lunches have continued every Friday except during August. There is no charge, payment is by donation only. Lorna Pearson who organises soup lunches is unable to continue and sadly the death of Anne McKay has lost another important member of the team. The whole arrangement will have to be restructured.

The other yearly events are:- Christmas Day Lunch - Eventually a new chef was found and lunch was a great success Bags of Joy - were delivered to patients spending Christmas in Leighton Hospital. Good Friday Service on The Square Reaseheath College Freshers' Day Services for the World Day of Prayer Christian Aid Collections

Christmas Cards The Mission Millennium Bursary Nantwich Show

Gill Appleton

Nantwich Deanery Synod

Our Deanery Synod has met three times since the last APCM. St. Mary's are represented by four delegates one of whom has been elected Lay Chairman.

As all four delegates come to the end of another three-year term on Deanery Synod, we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their commitment and faithfulness.

Throughout the year opening prayers were limited to two parishes, each of which explained what they were doing and asked for the Synod to pray for them.

In February 2016 the Synod met at St Michael's, Coppenhall with Sue Mayo, the Diocesan School/Church Links Consultant. She gave us a sample Year 7 assembly & encouraged us to remember that each child is valued in God's eyes. We shared what we're doing in our schools.

In May 2016 we met at St. Oswald's Worleston where we received an address from Rev. Magdalene Smith, the Diocesan Director of Ordinands. She outlined what it is like for someone who is going through the process of discerning a vocation to Ordained Ministry.

In November 2016 we met at St. Barnabas' Crewe where Rob Wyche from Crewe Christian Concern gave us an interesting insight into how poverty can affect people. This was followed up in discussion groups.

In February 2017 we met at St. Mary's Nantwich and received a talk from Catherine Smith, a nurse, who led us in thinking about loneliness and asked what can we do? and What can it do to us? In this context, she also promoted the work of Parish Nursing.

Our next Synod is on 17th July 2017 at St. Mark's Shavington where the speaker will be Bishop Libby.

Bryan Coghlan

Alpha

After a break from the previous Alpha Course we at St. Mary's ran the New Alpha course which was fresh off the oven in September 2016. The Alpha is a series of sessions exploring the Christian faith. Each talk looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation. The videos were superbly done and the production was professional. We met during the month of

October and November exploring subjects such as: Is There More to Life than This? Who is Jesus? Why Did Jesus Die? How Can I Have Faith? Why and How Do I Pray? And why and How Should I Read the Bible?

There were a lot of questions and discussions. No question was insignificant. One of the participants said "Alpha is informative and an opportunity for people to feel safe asking questions about God, church and faith without being made to feel stupid and small".

About 14 people attended regularly (sometimes 20) and were treated to delicious and delightful desserts made by Anne Ward and Richard Penkethman.

There were many reasons for doing Alpha. One person said "it is a Gateway to Faith". There were many who were mature in the faith but wanted to sharpen their skills in presenting the Faith to others. There were others who wanted to brush up on the basics. Also, some were new to faith, and lastly some came to encourage and support by getting involved in running Alpha. The Winzers helped with setting up and putting things away. Most of the group committed themselves to attend Alpha 2 as a home group at Kaushal's. There were one or two who wanted to do it again just to gain more.

DON'T MISS THE NEXT: AFTER EASTER! Rev. Kaushal David

Baptism

"Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father."

Another busy and varied year for the Baptism group. Almost 90 Baptisms, most on Sunday afternoons plus an increasing number of small group Baptisms on Friday/Saturday afternoons, reflecting the needs of couples who married here - moving away for work they return for the Baptism of their children, some with 4 generations Baptised in St. Mary's from many parts of the world.

We now welcome Helen Chapman to our team alongside Jo McCauley and myself and Pam Greatorex who has joined the team of assistants. Sadly we have said goodbye and thank you to Jenny Varty and John & Edna Lester who have retired after years of service - we shall miss them.

Baptism Anniversary cards for 2nd and 3rd years have been replaced with an internet card which carries a personal message from us all - it's being well received. Andrea, our Family Worker, now organises delivery of 1st year cards to families. Many thanks to Gill Appleton for years of organising this important link.

Several changes and updating of materials used for Baptism Welcome evenings, along with details of all opportunities offered by St. Mary's for them and their little ones, ensure families are well informed. Follow-up is provided for anyone who is vulnerable or experiencing difficulties.

Thanks to Rose Harris who orders candles and other items which make for such a personal service to families, Gail and Miriam whose skilled and tireless work keeps the varied needs of the public organised. We all look forward to another busy year of working together in this Baptism ministry.

Dorothy Relton, Baptism Co-ordinator

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Jasmine's Baptism with Ghanaian Family

Belfry

Yet another busy year in the tower. We continue to ring regularly for the 10:45am and 6pm Sunday services, usually on all eight bells and with ringers to spare. On Christmas Eve we actually rang for all the crib services, the midnight service, and again for Christmas the next morning! Many other towers struggle to maintain numbers for regular ringing so we are very pleased to be able to do so at Nantwich - much of our Thursday practice is devoted to encouraging our new ringers and those who are improving.

There have been several failed peal attempts involving our own ringers along with others from the area to commemorate significant events e.g. for the Queens 90th birthday, and for those who died in the Battle of the Somme. One peal was however successfully rung in exactly 3 hours to celebrate the life and works of King Edward in the 950th year of his death; Edward, now known as Edward the Confessor, founded Westminster Abbey.

As well as regular monthly meetings at local churches, the Branch programme included an outing in May to ring in Lytham and St. Annes - sea air for all and fish and chips for some! Our day finished with ringing on the impressive twelve bells of Preston Minster followed by a splendid pub meal. In September we had a lovely sunny evening of ringing at Rostherne and Warburton, again followed by an excellent meal at the local hostelry. The Christmas meeting found us ringing at Alsager, then to Haslington for a really great hotpot supper followed by a quiz and traditional games. We had a muddy, post-Christmas, walk and pub lunch in January - again very well supported.

Amongst our new recruits last year are two members of the congregation, Jim and Elvina (Jim's daughter, who is also a Server), and they have recorded their experience thus far:

Jim writes: I was invited up into the tower to have a look around, even have a go at ringing a bell. It was interesting to see a part of the church which is out of sight to Sunday Service. Then there was an opportunity to go on a practice night. I was wary at first as it seemed so complicated but I was actively encouraged so I kept going back. Theyre a friendly group in the ringing chamber, so much so that it wasnt long before my daughter came with me and was welcomed too. Bell ringing has now become our weekly father/daughter activity.

Elvina writes: I like bell ringing because I feel more involved with the church. It has also helped me develop my musical interest. Learning and socialising make it enjoyable and wherever you go there will be a tower nearby where you can meet new people who may share similar interests.

As demonstrated above, bell ringing is an activity that can be learned and enjoyed by people of all ages from around 11 until well into their 80s, so please do get in touch with us if you would like to find out more.

Mary Stanwell (Tower Secretary)

Nantwich Christian Aid Group

Although small in number the group with representatives from local churches in Nantwich continues to meets 3 or 4 times a year to plan events and make preparations for Christian Aid Week.

Events organized in 2016 included a Quiz Night and a Lent Soup Lunch, which raised 800.55 and 95.00 respectively. St. Mary's took part in the "Count your Blessings" Lent appeal raising 300 and we again received a donation of 213.55 from the refreshments served by "Churches together in Nantwich" at the Nantwich Show.

The Quiz Night last February was a great success with 15 teams filling Acton Parish Hall in what has become an annual event. However, we were disappointed in the number attending the Lent Soup Lunch last year. We are not sure about the reason for this as it was advertised with posters in churches and in weekly news sheets. So we are not planning to hold one this year but to organize events in our local churches.

Christian Aid is encouraging churches to hold a "Big Brekkie" this year, with this in mind we are planning to invite a speaker to our Ladies' Breakfast to talk about the work of Christian Aid.

During Christian Aid Week in May, 27 volunteers from St. Mary's participated in the house to house collections contributing 1,601.76 to the total of 4,772.27 raised in Nantwich. This was down by 471 on the previous year. We are particularly thankful to our team of dedicated collectors and counters who made this possible.

We have seen a downward trend in the amount of money raised from house to house collections over the past few years, which may reflect the present financial climate. It may also reflect the way in which people are supporting charities, such as phone donations or local supermarkets are choosing their own charities rather than allowing one-off collections. However, it may be more complicated, in our House-to-House collections, although a number of streets reflected this downward trend a number of streets also showed increased giving.

Preparations are underway for this year's appeal. While we appreciate the number of volunteers may vary from year to year as people take on other commitments or holidays conflict. The number of collectors last year was down by 7 and as a result the streets not covered rose from 4 to 8. So we are always in need of new volunteers, as we want to be able to cover all of our designated streets. CAW house to house collections remain vital to the work of Christian Aid as they amount to half the money raised by Christian Aid each year.

Christian Aid Week 2017: 14th-20th May please put it in your diary and help if you can. Yvonne Wilson

Flower Ladies

Our team of flower arrangers are led by Glenys Ellis. Flowers are arranged every week throughout the year except of course Advent and Lent when we have a well-earned rest.

We call upon the whole team when we arrange flowers for a wedding. Due to their skill and dedication we have numerous thank you cards from our various brides and grooms. We also call upon all of our ladies to arrange flowers for special events such as Easter, Harvest and Christmas.

We rely on financial contributions from the congregation at these times as the cost of flowers increases yearly.

In June we held a Flower Festival. Many thanks go to Glenys, Margaret and our organiser Jackie Marshall who shared the organisation of the event. They were helped by flower arrangers from our church as well as arrangers from surrounding areas. A lot of hard work from them all.

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The theme was "The Glory of Nantwich". It was a great success artistically and financially. Helped by refreshments in the Parish Hall we raised 11,500 which has been used to provide cushions for all the pews in church. Thank you to all who helped. Gill Appleton

Home Groups

Alpha Home Group Those who finished the Alpha course joined the Alpha 2 in a home group setting at Kaushal's house. We meet every other week and have explored (continuing) other topics relating to the Christian Faith: Who is the Holy Spirit and What Does He Do? How Can I Be Filled with the Holy Spirit? How Does God Guide Us? How Can I Make the Most of the Rest of My Life? Why and How Should I Tell Others? How Can I Resist Evil? Does God Heal Today? And what About the Church?

The group have got to know each other and were free to ask and some felt that they could answer questions from others in the group and even share their own experience of Faith. One participant said "I find Alpha incredibly rewarding-seeing God change and transform people's lives through Jesus when they have invited Him". Richard continues to sweeten the group with plenty of pudding and making sure that no one is without a drink - yes one feels "stuffed" after home group. One person felt that it is a "friendly and relaxed environment where you can learn and explore more about God and what being a Christian really means". We have been continuing since January 2017. Rev. Kaushal David

Christian Issues Meeting fortnightly in term time the Christian Issues Group has a membership of

18 with an average attendance of 14. In the last meeting of each term members

suggest subjects for next terms' programme. Almost any item in society or in the

news that is an issue for Christians is discussed. Discussions are lively and

diverse with many different points of view.

Courses initiated by St. Mary's are woven into the programme, including "Jesus

Shaped People" and "Rhythms of Grace".

If you like lists, our topics covered in the last year included:-

The EU vote from a Christian perspective, Favourite Bible Stories and why,

Christian Theology Summary, Corruption Kills Countries, ATR = After The

EU Referendum, "I have always said that but what does it mean?", Moral

dilemmas - including NHS strikes, Our own written versions of a Christian

Creed, Gay Bishops and Anglican Church Unity, Climate Change, 21st

Century Christianity - including Christianity for Teenagers, Our own families'

Christian heritage - beliefs and values in our immediate descendants, A Gift

we are grateful for, Are we entitled to abort a baby because it is not perfect?,

How can we pay for the NHS which we all want? Should we say "sorry"? -

Personally? - Globally?, How can we have faith in politicians & political

systems? Living with uncertainties, Is Great Britain being overwhelmed by

Islam?, and What emphasis should we place on miracles in the Bible?

That's not bad for a year of stimulating subjects and fantastic fellowship.

Dot and Gordon Roxby

Wednesday Night The Wednesday Night Home Group is led by Angie Bartlett & Beth Roberts and we meet every week at either Angie or Beth's houses alternately.

Our evenings take the form of getting together over a brew between 7.45 & 8pm and sharing events of our past week. By 8.30pm we get into our current Bible study & between 9.30 & 10pm share in a time of prayer together.

During the last year we got much out of studying CARE's "God in Politics" sessions which had been prompted by our previous discipleship programme. In the summer months we dug deeper into the book of Daniel, and in the autumn we began a study on the Women in the Bible which we are still involved in and very much enjoying. As a group we take part in any Church wide studies such as the Lent studies. Each week brings a fresh encounter with God for each one of us, through His Word in the Bible.

Our group has welcomed new St. Mary's people over the last year, and if we all turn up on a Wednesday evening there will be 13 of us. We include some social evenings into the year and are very grateful to Helen & Tim Machin who kindly open their home for such great times of fellowship.

Angie Bartlett & Beth Roberts

Housekeeping Team

I would like to thank every member of the Church Housekeeping Team for all their help and support during the past year. We have four new members to help with the existing team of sixteen people.

We regularly have rewarding comments from the many visitors that come to St. Mary's and often comment on how well the Church is kept and the smell of polish and Brasso.

However, we would welcome new members, especially when we have our annual Spring Clean or if some people have just half an hour or an hour a week to spare at a time to suit themselves to maintain the standard that we all like to see in this beautiful building it would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Margaret Wilson, Church Housekeeper

Ladies' Breakfast

St. Marys Ladies' Breakfasts took place throughout the year, with a break for the summer holiday. We even had a joint ladies' and men's meeting, at which Jackie Jukes spoke. We have heard about wonderful life stories, inspiring work challenges and the way faith has inspired.

Thank you to everyone who has spoken at a breakfast.

At the suggestion of one regular, the 2017 Ladies' Breakfasts are now open to all women - so invite your friends along! And we have set up an email address for bookings (below).

The breakfasts are held at The Crown Hotel on Saturday mornings (usually the fourth in the month) at 8.30am. We say a big thank you to Susie at The Crown and her staff, who feed us promptly. And as not everyone wants a "full English" we have instigated a "light" option.

nantwichladiesbreakfast@gmail.com Annie Coombs & Rachael Griffiths

Men's Breakfast Group

We are pleased to be able to report that the St. Mary's Men's Breakfast Group continues to go from strength to strength and we now have approaching forty-five on our mailing list. We have continued to meet for a "full English" on the third Saturday of each month at The Crown and our thanks must go to Susan Kendrick Martin and her cheerful staff for their kind hospitality.

We have continued to have speakers from our own membership who have talked to us on many and varied topics.

We are always happy to welcome new members and if you have not been before speak to Stephen Snelling or Jonathan Griffiths or sign up on the sheets in Church. Existing members can always bring their friends! If you have an interesting story to tell you will find an eager audience ready and waiting.

Stephen Snelling and Jonathan Griffiths

mailto:nantwichladiesbreakfast@gmail.com

Little Fish

After many incredibly successful years of Praise and Play, it was sad to see a dedicated team of volunteers, led by Anne McKay, move on. They have provided a wonderful space for families to meet together and to share their Christian journey with young children. Praise and Play took

a break after the summer holidays to allow for time to re-think its future. In January it started back as "Little Fish" on a Thursday morning in term time, 10 -11.30am.

Little Fish has had a large number of families attending with on average 15 families coming every week, with children ranging from babies to age 4. However we have had weeks with many more attending. Each session is based around a theme such as "Trusting God" and involves a welcome activity to allow time for everyone to arrive, a session of praise and finishes with a craft or activity that links to the theme. The praise time includes reading stories, using puppets to re-tell stories, short video clips, lots of singing and instrument shaking, an input on the link to Christianity and a prayer. Feedback has been very positive and families are enjoying coming to a session that is welcoming, helpful and engaging.

The team of volunteers are exceptional and everyone works very hard to ensure sessions run smoothly, it is a pleasure to work with such a dedicated and resourceful team. Little Fish has taken off and will hopefully feed into Messy Church and the 9.30am Service as families become more familiar with the Church. Andrea Clews

Messy Church (from September 2016)

In September I took over the responsibility for Messy Church which meets every other month and

allows people to explore their faith in a more creative setting. Messy Church has traditionally been thought of as being for children, but it is in fact suitable for all ages. Therefore we have ensured that it provides a range of activities suitable for different ages and interests. For example January's Messy Church was about "Listening for God" and there were not only opportunities for craft but also creative writing, interviewing the rector, quiet time for reflecting using pictures and Taiz music and much more. It was then followed by a short time of worship and refreshments. This was well received by those that attended.

This year, I have set up a Facebook page which will be used to advertise Messy Church and the hope is that over the next year we will grow and draw in a whole new congregation from our local community, who will then possibly feed into the Sunday Church Services.

Going forward we will be providing hospitality in the form of a simple meal such as pasta with tomato sauce at Messy Church as this is not only what the organisation recommends but also something those that attend have suggested. I am therefore looking to recruit volunteers once more, to help with this role.

The Messy Church team work very hard to ensure it is well organised on the day and without them it simply would not happen. I am incredibly grateful for their continued support. I am very excited about the future of Messy Church and look forward to building up the congregation. Andrea Clews

Mission Support Committee

The Mission Support Committee seeks to help and encourage the mission of the wider church both at home and abroad. This year we recommended to the Parochial Church Council that a grant of three thousand seven hundred and sixty nine pounds be made towards a whole town mission in Nantwich. We also recommended that two thousand pounds be given to the Nantwich Foodbank; 4000 be allocated for mission initiatives in Crewe; nine hundred pounds be allocated to the Acorn Trust; two thousand five hundred pounds be allocated to the Anglicans Girls School in Obuassi, in Ghana, towards toilets; and one thousand pounds be allocated to support the education of

two school girls in Kenya. In addition St. Mary's had a special collection for Christian Aid in Lent, supported the Samaritans Purse shoe box appeal in Advent, and took a collection for the Children's Society at Christmas.

Rev. Barry Wilson

At our last AGM we had 34 members on the list, including 2 indoor members. We have enrolled 3 new members this year, one elderly member became a third indoor member, but we also lost one person making 36 in total.

We have continued to support victims of domestic abuse, with toiletries etc, our present collection continued into January to make good use of surplus Christmas gifts, though storage problems now prevent us collecting throughout the year. We were very grateful for the continued support of the congregation. For Mothering Sunday members made up 450 bunches of daffodils to give out at the services and Rita Johnson gave a 3 minute presentation on MU before the 9.30am and 10.45am services accompanied by a video loop. We continue to welcome members from Sandiway as our prayer partners and keep links to Nantwich Methodist Ladies Group.

We decided to change our fund-raising event in August from a tea-party to a coffee morning and raised nearly double the amount for MU charities by so doing. We have decided to continue this in 2017, but on a Thursday to benefit from market day. Two extremely enjoyable outings, organised jointly with Seniors' Lounge, took a number of members to Southport in June and to Denbigh in October. The latter trip was especially notable for the welcome we received from St. Mary's Denbigh MU, who catered for us.

Our speakers have covered topics including bell-ringing, teapots' spirituality, hearing dogs and the Red Cross, with two excellent talks by members at very short notice when a speaker cancelled; Pat Stalker on her View of Life and John Kirkby on Humanitarian Assistance and the Refugee Crisis. David Marsh led an uplifting Advent Carol Service followed by our Christmas Party in the Parish Hall.

The Committee meets monthly, members are represented at Diocesan Council and Deanery Committees and in October the Treasurer, Secretary and I attended a whole morning's workshop on the new MU reporting system in the Diocese. Christine Kirkby, Branch Leader

Mums and Tots

Mums and Tots meets on a Tuesday morning in the Parish Hall and the group is still as popular as ever, embracing the whole community.

This year, we have held many themed activities to coincide with special occasions such as; Valentines, Easter, Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day and Christmas. July culminated with our Annual Summer Party. This was a highly attended event which the children and adults thoroughly enjoyed.

At each session, we provide drinks & biscuits for both children and their carers.

During playgroup, the toddlers use the environment to develop skills of sharing and communication so they can learn to play alongside each other contentedly: a preparation for preschool and reception. It also provides a meeting place for Mums, Dads, Grandparents and

Carers in an environment where support can be found and friendships grow.

We run a craft activity in the small room off the hall where carers are encouraged to guide their children in using paper, colours, stickers, glue, glitter & playdoh.

Celia finishes the morning recognising birthdays and singing nursery rhymes.

As the group is so popular, we always have a waiting list.

Anne McKay who worked with us for many years recently had to retire due to ill health and has since passed away, she is greatly missed.

Gill Appleton and Celia Kay

Mums and Tots is very well run by a voluntary team, headed up by Gill Appleton and Celia Kay, who all work very hard to ensure that a clean, safe and engaging playgroup is provided for the children and carers. It is enjoyed by all who come which is a testament to the team's dedication. Recently, Anne

McKay, one of the team's long standing members stepped down due to ill health and has since sadly passed away. She tirelessly worked incredibly hard to provide a weekly craft activity for all that attend and her presence is missed by all. Everyone is very grateful for all the years she has been part of the team and the passion she has shown for her role. Mums and Tots would like to welcome Sally Hall to the team, who is taking on the role of leading the craft activity each week. Andrea Clews

Music at St. Mary's

Choir

The choir members have given wonderful support and loyalty over the last 12

months and have continued to show enthusiasm for the repertoire and the

awareness of good vocal technique. We are also fortunate to be able to work

with our excellent organist, Simon Russell.

There are 11 sopranos, 4 altos, 3 tenors, 7 basses and 9 children on the choir

register. On average, 18-20 choristers regularly attend the 10.45am Services

and there are usually 8 to 12 choristers at 6pm Services. I am delighted that

our number of young choristers continues to grow. Seven children attend

practices and Services regularly and have all achieved their Voice for Life pale

blue medal. They are all now working towards the Voice for Life dark blue level.

This year we have raised enough money to enable all members to have new

cassocks as well as some spares for growing juniors! The choir members would

like to thank all those who have contributed in any way towards this fundraising

most sincerely. I would like to add personal thanks to Ester Harries who has

worked tirelessly to make sure that the whole operation has gone smoothly.

Throughout the last year we have sung several Choral Evensong Services at 6pm

which have been well supported by both choir and congregation. We shall

continue to offer Choral Evensong every month wherever possible. The Come and

Sing Choral Evensong at the end of January was well supported by members of

the congregation who joined us for a workshop and a Service.

The performance of Captain Noah and His Floating Zoo in the autumn was a

great success. It brought together the church choir and the children from

SING!@St. Mary's as well as several members of the Nantwich Singers and we

were accompanied by our friend, the pianist John Gough.

The Advent and Christmas periods are quite expectedly very busy times and this

was no exception in December 2016 at St. Mary's. Our choir certainly rose to

the occasion at the Advent Veni Emmanuel Service, the Carol Service and the

WI Carol Service as well as at the Midnight Service on Christmas Eve.

At the moment we are working towards and looking forward to taking an

important role in the 6pm Service on Palm Sunday, as well as preparing for more

regular Choral Evensongs from April. We are going to Bangor Cathedral in June

to sing Evensong and I hope that there will be a good representation of St.

Mary's choir at the next RSCM Festival at Chester Cathedral in the autumn.

We like to meet socially and have had a jolly choir lunch recently at The Crown!

It is a privilege to be part of the St. Mary's Church family and to be able to

lead and support the congregation through music and singing.

Alison Phillips

Musical Director

Lunchtime Concerts

Last year, St. Mary's was once again able to offer to music lovers far and wide a series of Lunchtime Concerts every Thursday during the months of June, July and August. Last year was very special in that it was the first time we could offer pianists the use of our splendid 7 foot Schimmel grand piano.

(One of the consequences of the church's internal reorganisation was that a space was found in the south

aisle in which the piano could be stored when it was not required at the front of the nave - its normal position for concerts.)

In 2016 we heard the violinist Richard Howarth, the cellist Diane Tice-Porteous, the mezzo Imogen Garner and the harpist Lauren Scott. However, not surprisingly, there was an emphasis on pianists: from Chester John Gough, from Wilmslow the duettists Dolby and Hughes and closer to home, Marie McKavanagh.

AND the phenomenal 8 year old prodigy Leo Bailey-Yang whose encore was to play "The Flight of the Bumblebee",

faultlessly, blindfold! We are delighted that the opening concert of the 2017 series will see the return of Leo, a pupil at Chethams School in Manchester - 15th June; mark it in your diary! Details of all the concerts will be available in time for Easter.

The concerts are free to attend, but there is a retiring collection and our audiences are large and generous enough to ensure that substantial contributions to church funds can be made each year.

Tony Metcalfe

19 children take part in Sing! @St. Mary's on

Tuesday afternoons during term time in the

Parish Hall. Their ages range from 5 to 11 and

they enjoy singing a variety of songs and rounds

as well as playing lots of musical games and also

preparing pieces for the 9.30am Services.

We have taken part in several 9.30 Services

throughout the past year as well as singing with the main choir in a

performance of Noah and His Floating Zoo by Flanders and Horovitz last

October. At the moment we are preparing for Mothering Sunday as well

as for Easter. Nine members of the group also take part in the RSCM

scheme Voice for Life on Friday evenings in order to learn more about

how to sing, the responsibilities of being a member of a choir and also to

learn about music theory. I am delighted that most of these children have

been awarded the light blue RSCM ribbon and are now working towards

the dark blue level. Most of them are also attending the main Friday

evening choir rehearsals and several have joined the main church choir

and regularly attend the 10.45 services in addition to their SING!@St.

Marys rehearsals and responsibilities.

We all had great fun at the bowling and pizza event last autumn!

We have been ably supported this year by Rachel Duerdon, our

accompanist, Rachael Griffiths and Vanessa Layfield. Sadly, Rachael is

leaving us to take up her post in Audlem, but we thank her for all her help

and encouragement since the group was formed and wish her all the best

for the future.

Alison Phillips

Open House

This very informal group has continued to meet monthly throughout the year. We have enjoyed meeting old friends and making new ones.

We shared a meal at Cronkinson Farm in June. In December we sang Christmas carols. For the rest of the year we talked to each other and listened when it was appropriate to do so - all over teas and coffees.

The Clergy visit and communion can be arranged.

This year we are developing a link with Brookfield Care Home.

We have welcomed Mary Harris into our team. We are missing Anne McKay very much. She has been part of this group since its inception. The tea in future will never taste quite the same.

Everybody welcome. Marion Edge

Pastoral Care

At St. Mary's we really are passionate about being compassionate and want you to feel cared for by us. Our mission as we grow together in this mutual caring, is to Know God, Show His Love and Grow His Church, a Church where all can experience Gods love expressed through our worship, prayer, and life together.

Throughout scripture, Jesus calls us to love and care for one another. We know that the apostle Paul taught the early churches the importance of loving one another. For example, in his letter to the Galatians he wrote: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." "Bear one another's burdens" "So then whenever we have the opportunity, let us work for the good of all".

All of us are called to be servants of Christ and we are so grateful to every one from our church family who willingly gives up their time to support others. These acts of kindness are very much appreciated by the Clergy, the pastoral care team, and all those on the receiving end of such care.

We are fortunate to have a thriving church with so many parishioners; each of us having occasions when we need support from others. In view of this Vanessa Layfield was appointed Pastoral Care Coordinator in April 2016 to set up a team of pastoral care workers with various responsibilities to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be supported in practical as well as spiritual ways.

Since Vanessa's appointment a year ago, the team have achieved much including:

Setting up a referral system for Pastoral Care support.

Facilitating a Welcome Event at The Rectory led by Kath Leonard our Lead for Welcome. Kath is also instrumental in creating a Welcome Pack for newcomers.

Facilitating various training events for Pastoral Workers including safeguarding, accreditation with Acorn listening foundation, and working with Cheshire Living Well Dying Well.

Continued support for the Homeless by providing homeless packs.

A commitment to the work in partnership with CAP, Christians Against Poverty, to provide CAP Money budgeting courses & Debt recovery in Nantwich, Angie Bartlett being the lead in organising this support. With

the support of the Crewe CAP staff, we have so far delivered 2 budgeting courses with a 3rd planned for November. We are also in discussion with CAP about developing a Job Club for the unemployed & the homeless in the future & are interested in hearing from anyone who feels God is calling them to volunteer in this particular pastoral care support.

Supporting Prayer initiatives - Thy Kingdom come, prayer screens, prayer groups etc. with and plan to improve this initiative within the forthcoming year.

Mary Harris is the lead for bereavement support. She supports the volunteers and those that attend Open House, attends funerals and completes bereavement visits.

We continue to explore with churches together in Nantwich, becoming a dementia friendly town.

We support Jane Emery and her team at the Food Bank.

We attend communion visits with the clergy, hospital visits and home visits.

We support Dorothy Relton as our lead for Baptisms and Ros Reid, Kath Riddell and their volunteers for the continued work at Seniors' Lounge.

Further projects for this year: Prayer Initiatives: Prayer is an essential part of our ministry and we must pray for each other. We offer prayer in response to the many requests received. Vanessa is currently praying for the right person to take on the role of prayer co-ordinator. We are looking for a creative person who is competent on the computer, someone who is prayerful, comfortable leading prayer and workshops with others of all ages, teaching others various ways of praying, helping to set up prayer stations and prayer groups, making prayer leaflets for all to use.

Yours in God's Service, Vanessa Layfield- Pastoral Care Co-ordinator.

Prayer

St. Mary's Prayer Group When we read through the "What's On" section of our regular "This Week" church sheets we realise that we are blessed with a variety of opportunities for meeting with fellow Christians for prayer. One such is with St. Mary's Prayer Group - so named because it was formed from a parish mission initiative getting on for twenty years ago!

The group meets on a fortnightly basis in members' houses, usually on Wednesday evenings. Details are given in the "daily diary" and newcomers are very welcome.

At our meetings, the leader for the evening reads a short Bible passage

and says a little about the attraction and relevance of the verses. There is then a time for reflection and open spoken prayer. Sometimes in the course of the prayers there are silences while we absorb what has been said, and the Holy Spirit guides our thoughts.

As this is a St. Mary's group we pray for our Rector, clergy, and all church leaders and workers. We pray also for parish events, and for those in need, using the "This Week" sheet as a guide. We rejoice and give thanks for all that God is doing in the parish - and calling us to do!

Our meetings have a friendly, informal atmosphere. There is good cheer and fellowship - and a cup of tea and biscuits. Please ask me for details

- you are welcome to come along! John Munks, Reader.

Julian Meetings for contemplative prayer continue to be held in St. Mary's Rectory, usually on the second Thursday of the month at 2pm. The Meeting has grown over the past year and has 14 members. Attendance numbers are usually around 6-8. A warm welcome is given to anyone wishing

to join this shared silence of "waiting on God" and simple ways of accessing stillness are offered to anyone

to whom it is a new experience. The Group is a member of the National Julian Meetings and contact details are found both on their website and that of our own St. Mary's. The Parish Office and This Month hold forthcoming dates for publicity.

Sue Hutt

Thursday Morning Prayer Group The Thursday morning prayer group has met regularly, every Thursday at 9am in the church during last year. We tended not to meet during half terms. Our average attendance is 4 but occasionally it had been just one and at times it was 6. When people were unable to attend, they would pause for a moment during that time wherever they are to think of some of the prayer needs of the Church.

Our pattern is to first read a passage from the Bible and to reflect on it for about 10 minutes. We have read through parts of the Gospel of John, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 John and now we are reading 1 Thessalonians. After reading the scriptures we are often led to pray for something that we have learnt from that reflection.

We then look at some urgent prayer needs such as illness, events that were taking place in church that need attention and any personal prayer needs of those who attend or of those in the wider church. We've had one or two who attended (not regulars) because they had a specific prayer need. It is a prayer group for the whole church so everyone is welcome to attend. We've also had prayer requests from people who could not attend but wanted to be prayed for. Some who have attended were not used to praying out loud but requested others to pray for them.

Rev. Kaushal David

Sacristan & Servers

Adult Servers Dorothy Relton, Penny Beeston, David Singam, John Oakes, Dev Hobson,

Andrew Kelly. Rob Icke has now joined the serving team and is still in training

but taking an active role in the Services.

Young Servers Elvina Atherton, Stephanie Williams, Keren David, Cathrina David and Abbi

Boschi and Lara Boschi who are an important part of the serving team and a

pleasure to work with. All of these young people are very capable of working

on their own now and are taking an equal role alongside the adult servers. Abbi

was confirmed in May last year and the servers were pleased to be part of the

Service and there to support her.

There are a great many different Services at St. Mary's over the year. There is a

server or servers on duty for all the Services and they play a large part in the

spiritual life of St. Mary's.

On Maundy Thursday night before the main evening Communion Service the

Rector holds a Service of re-dedication for the servers. We dedicate ourselves to

work in God's service for another year. The Service takes place just before we

Strip the Altars and the church of all its finery in readiness for Good Friday and

then Easter Day. We all feel that we share what a privilege it is to be allowed to

serve God as we do each week.

As Sacristan I would like to thank all the servers for the help and hard work they

put into all the Services and the team spirit that we all share. I would also like to

thank them for the support they have given to me especially over the past year.

My thanks also go to Diane Joslyn for taking over the role of washing and ironing

the small pieces of altar linen. Also special thanks to Diana Sweeney for washing

and ironing the large pieces of altar linen. All their hard work is much appreciated.

Rosemary Harris

Sacristan

Schools Work Schools work continues to be a vital part of our mission and ministry, and we have good links within our local community. Some of our work involves inviting schools to events that we organise in Church. Last Easter, we invited Years 5 and 6 to come to an interactive exploration of the Easter story. We welcomed 300 children to the Church over the course of a week and have received some excellent feedback about the event. I am very grateful for the fantastic team of volunteers who made this event possible, including Beryl Hughes who made 300 biscuits for us to share with our visitors.

In the summer term, we involved our local primary schools in the Flower Festival by inviting them to write messages to the Queen in honour of her 90th birthday. These were displayed in Church, and schools took advantage of the opportunity to bring their children to visit the Festival. The summer term also saw our regular Leavers' Service for pupils in Year 6 as part of their transition to secondary school. This has become an important occasion in the school year, with parents, teachers and children all valuing the opportunity to mark this event in a special way.

Rachael Griffiths

At Christmas the local Primary Schools attended the annual Primary Carols in large numbers. They thoroughly enjoyed being entertained by a camel, sheep and donkey and were challenged to think about the real meaning of Christmas. It is not long now until they will return to the Church for Experience Easter and once again be challenged to think about the real meaning of a Christian Festival. This year I have taken on the responsibility of assemblies and five of the local primary schools are now receiving monthly assemblies (Nantwich Primary Academy, Weaver, Millfields, St. Anne's and Highfields).

Andrea Clews

Our link with the schools is a valuable one, so please continue to pray that God will bless us as we seek to serve the needs of our local schools.

Seniors' Lounge

It is pleasing to report that this outreach initiative, which takes place in the Parish Hall on the 2nd Sunday afternoon of each month, and is now in its 4th year, continues to flourish. We have over 30 people attending as there is a growing need to provide a friendship group with some elements of worship included for those who would otherwise be on their own on a Sunday afternoon. It can be one of the loneliest days of the week, when there is little to do in Nantwich, and often relatives are busy with their own families.

As people arrive at 3pm, some having been driven by volunteers, they are welcomed at the door and given a name label so we can get to know them quickly. This helps friendships to develop. Tea or coffee is handed round by volunteers, plus a selection of cakes. We are very grateful to Chatwins who donate cakes each month, supplemented by cakes provided by the leaders. We are also very grateful for the support given by people acting as helpers on a rota basis to serve drinks and then to sit & chat with people for about 40 mins.

You dont have to be a "Senior" in the true sense of the word to come - anyone is welcome if you have nothing to do on the 2nd Sunday afternoon of the month. This changes to the 3rd Sunday in November and December only, to allow for use of the Hall for Remembrance Sunday and the Lions' Carol Service. Everyone is very friendly and there is a really good "buzz" of conversation as people catch up with one another and make new friends.

Each month a different game is played - like Countdown, Play your Cards Right or Catchphrase as on the TV. Sometimes we have a quiz based on TV shows from the past, such as "The Army Game" or Coronation Street, where members try to identify the name of the characters and the actors name. Everyone sings a couple of well-known hymns and there is a short talk given by our Rector, Barry, or another member of the clergy. The session ends with a final blessing and people leave at 4.15pm - all saying that they are looking forward to the next time.

During the year we organise 2 day trips and for the first time this year members of the Mothers' Union joined with us. We had wonderful weather for our summer trip to Southport and for our autumn trip in October we went to Denbigh in North Wales. We were hosted to lunch by the Mothers' Union at St. Mary's Church there. While some also visited their sister church, St. Marcella's, a fine Grade 1 listed Vale of Clwyd church, with fine views to the hills beyond, others went on a guided tour of the old town. We also visited the Cae Dai Trust's fabulous 1950s Museum nearby.

New volunteers are always needed and welcomed. If you feel you would like to show the love of God in this way on a rota basis, please ask in the Parish Office how to contact Ros or Cathie.

Ros Reid/Cathie Riddell

Stewards' Team

Keeping St. Mary's open 6 days a week 9am to 4pm is of great pride to all and our grateful thanks go to Regular Stewards (27) and Reserves (also 27 some of whom work as couples). Recruitment and training of new Stewards is an ongoing activity as existing Stewards retire and we endeavour to keep the Team up to strength. During 2016, we were delighted to welcome Chris Harris who joined to assist with administrative tasks. This has been a big help.

Stewards really enjoy their task of giving a warm welcome to Visitors and sharing knowledge of St. Mary's history, Services and activities which greatly assists Visitors to enjoy both an interesting and spiritual experience. We also keep a watchful eye on the contents of St. Mary's and the presence of a Steward ensures people behave quietly and with respect. Since the installation of the glass doors at the West end, we have been delighted to see a noticeable increase in the number of visitors but recording of numbers is now only occasional as the Visitors' book is no longer easily reachable for a Steward and as visitors can now enter via either the Porch or West end, at busy times we can sometimes miss greeting every visitor. This obviously varies with the time of day and month.

In respect of concerns mentioned previously with regard to Stewards occasionally working alone, this situation has been much improved by the provision of an Alarm system worn by Stewards. However, the CCTV system awaits either repair or replacement but we understand that when the possible relocation of the Shop (Visitor Centre) to the West end/North Wall which is hoped to take place during 2018, we presume both CCTV and a landline telephone will be available at this time. This relocation will greatly enhance working conditions for Shop staff and Stewards as it will Visitor experience.

Chris Harris arranged this meeting to provide fellowship and information to Stewards face to face. Rev. Barry provided detailed information on the planning for the new Visitor Centre within the Nave. Our grateful thanks to Anne McKay and Ian Smith for serving refreshments.

Penny Smith/Liz Chisnall/Chris Harris Stewards' Co-ordinators

Stewards Get-Together 14th November 2016

Tapestry Group

Our membership has increased by two and we now number eleven. Nine of these are still working.

Jean Wood, who was one of our original members, died during the year. She completed 21 kneelers.

Incidentally, our oldest working member is approaching her 90th Birthday.

At present we are making 12 seat cushions for the mouse chairs in St. Nicholas' Chapel. We are also renovating the choir seat cushions.

The "Peace" banner celebrates our 40th Anniversary.

Tapestry Group

THIS MONTH

Change There has been quite a lot of change during the period. We have waved goodbye to previous contributors and welcomed newcomers.

First of all, our new editor Alison Long took the reins in time for the November 2016 issue. With experience from Wrenbury's magazine, she brings publishing knowledge, editing skills and the diplomacy and tact needed for the role. It's great to have her on board. We said goodbye to Diane Tice-Porteous as she moved her career as a musician up a few steps and found she no longer could fit in THIS MONTH's production.

We also said goodbye to photographer Michael Walden, who moved up to Cumbria to be nearer family. And we are grateful to Bob Pugh and Neil Smith as keen photographers whom we can commission. We have also welcomed Yvonne Wilson to the committee as a writer and are enjoying her thoughtful pieces and contribution to the committee meetings.

Fewer people are buying the magazine. Please do what you can to encourage others to subscribe or purchase it.

Continuity The magazine committee has continued under the leadership of Rector Barry, with input from Curate Kaushal and volunteers Dot Roxby and Annie Coombs. Jill Crawford carries on as a regular writer, as does Peter Crawford, although he has retired from the committee.

THIS MONTH has retained almost all its advertisers from last year, for which we are extremely grateful. Without their support, it would not be possible to continue to produce such a magazine. Likewise the ongoing good relationship with Johnsons, our printers, is essential to ensure the timely assembly of a high quality product.

Distribution organised by Jacquie Ballantyne continues to work seamlessly, with those on the committee hardly being aware it is happening - but very grateful that it does.

We have managed to keep the price at 1 per issue.

Annie Coombs and Alison Long

Visitors' Centre

Following our winter break, and with all our volunteers being refreshed and fired with enthusiasm, we opened our shop door again on Monday, 7th March 2016 for a new trading year.

During the year we welcomed back, behind our shop counter, Mrs. Jane Roswell and, following her bereavement, Jane Roberts made a welcome return to us. Ellen Matthews, Sue Caunt and Moira Smith-Palmer were new volunteers on our team.

The shop closed for one week during the Flower Festival to enable flower displays to be shown in the south porch unhindered. Many of our volunteers made use of this time by helping with various aspects of the Flower Festival.

During the year we had a new panic alarm installed within the shop. We know that this works perfectly well because, after being set off accidently by one of our volunteers, I was advised that the sound was "deafening".

Trading during the year, although at times very quiet, was equal to that of the previous year and exceeded 8,000. This again led to a very healthy trading profit.

The future development of our Shop/Visitors' Centre is still ongoing. New plans have been drawn up and submitted to various bodies for approval. I personally feel confident that the shop will be located into church during 2018.

It was unfortunate that during the year one of most upstanding, cheerful, handsome and smiling volunteers had to step down due to ill health. I am referring of course to Bob Ellis. Bob you and your family remain always in our thoughts and prayers.

Nigel Winzer

Visits Organiser

During the year St. Mary's were hosts to three party visits. On 26th April we welcomed 20 members from the Nantwich Civic Society. This turned out to be a very interesting visit. They arrived at 6.30pm and after the tour they made their way to the Parish Hall to partake in a splendid meal prepared by Margaret (Winzer) and her team of helpers - they put the icing on the cake by bringing their own wine!

Another interesting party visited from the U3A History and Architecture group keeping Graham (Wilson) and I on our toes. They proved a very keen and perceptive group indeed.

On 9th July, we were hosts to 40 members of the Burton and Neston History Society. Again it was a pleasure and, with pride, we were able to share our beautiful Church with such appreciative visitors.

Finally I am grateful for the help that Graham, with his excellent memory, unstintingly provides and, last but not least, our reserve Guide Lewis (Goodrich) - again always willing to help with the larger party visits.

Ray Morris.

School Party Visits

Each year at St. Mary's Church we are fortunate to be able to welcome local Primary Schools and those from around the area who come to our church for an educational visit.

We work alongside the Nantwich Museum to give the children an enjoyable experience and a close look at the history of our church and the history of the town.

The guided tour of the church lasts around an hour. When booking the visit the teachers are asked which subjects they would like our experienced guides to cover and this usually includes the History of the Church. Our guides are used to children and the visit is constructed to suit the age of the children visiting us.

The children are asked what happens in church and are encouraged to read from the lectern and pulpit and to take part in other activities. We try to make the visit a lot of fun with a subtle Christian message.

All visits from October 2015 onwards were cancelled due to the major re-ordering work being carried out in the church which took 6 months; the safety of the children and teachers being our main priority.

There were only 2 visits in 2016 with a total of 44 children.

The requests for visits are now coming in again for this year so we are all looking forward to welcoming our little visitors once again.

Our regular guides are Rev. Gordon & Dot Roxby, Pat Stalker, Rev. David & Lynne Marsh, Rosemary Harris.

Rosemary Harris

Who Let the Dads Out?

It is with sadness that myself, Paul O'Brien & Peter Lewis decided to cease running this

playgroup in January. After a large proportion of the group started Primary School in September,

only one or two families attended each month. Despite efforts to advertise this group and get it up

and going, things sadly did not change. We are however planning to revisit this in the future as we still feel there is a need to provide a space for dads to meet up with their children as this is not a service provided elsewhere. In order for it to get going again though, we will require a team of male volunteers to help run the group. Both Paul and Peter have provided a wonderful opportunity to the community and have served with such generosity; I very much hope they will be part of the future shaping of another dad's group.

Andrea Clews

Youth & Children's Groups

Church Mice (0-4 years) The Church Mice are meeting during the 9:30 Service in the downstairs hall. There have been between 5 and 15 babies and pre-schoolers each week and they are always keen to learn and join in. The session normally includes a hunt around the room, stories, prayers, songs and a craft based on a different subject each week.

Many thanks to Dorothy, Cathy, Jan, Jo and Andrea C. for their brilliant leadership of the group and support. If anyone would like to join this team, just talk to me or Andrea C for information. Andrea Howell-Jones

Church Mice is led and organised superbly by Andrea H-J and her hard work and continued dedication is very much appreciated.

Andrea Clews

Launch Pad (4-7 years) & Orbit (7-11 years) Launch Pad and Orbit now meet together each Sunday at the 9.30am Service. This allows for more efficient distribution of our limited volunteers and allows older children to support their

younger friends as they develop their faith together. Activities might include craft, games, drama, storytelling, prayer and much more. Putting the two groups together has worked well, although the youngest children do at times need more support which is an area to develop as we move forward with the groups. We are continuing to search for

volunteers to both help support this valuable work and lead the groups. Those who currently volunteer do a fantastic job and without them, we would have struggled to continue with this important work in the Church. I am grateful for their continued support and dedication to these groups. Andrea Clews

Gravity (11+ years)

Gravity is a group for young people at Secondary School who come to our 9.30 Service. The group meets twice a month in the Rectory or occasionally Costa Coffee, to explore the Christian faith using Scripture Union resources called The Grid. We are particularly in need of leaders and helpers

with an interest in working with this age group, so please talk to Rachael if you feel God might be calling you to help in this way. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the leaders who are currently involved, and who have helped to make this group really worthwhile for those who attend. I am very grateful for your support.

Rachael Griffiths

Friday Nite Live Friday Nite Live (FNL) is a group for young people at secondary school. We meet on alternate Fridays in term time at 8pm at the home of Nick and Andrea Howell-Jones. We explore & discuss issues relating to faith and life. Each session is different and might include games, discussion, film/video clips and creative activities.

The group is friendly and fun, and we are always keen to welcome new members. Average attendance is around 8 young people. The group is led by Rachael Griffiths and Andrea Howell-Jones and we sometimes invite other people to come and lead sessions. My thanks go to both Nick and Andrea for their hospitality and on-going commitment in support of this group.

Rachael Griffiths