This month's News
- We had a Cracking Easter
- Good Friday Easter Garden build
- News from Wincle school
- Wincle and District WI
- Everyday Faith at this years Lay Conference
- News from St Michael's Wincle.
We had a Cracking Easter
On Palm Sunday in St. James Church Hall we had our first interactive walk through the whole of Holy Week. Each day was represented by a station, beginning with Palm Sunday and Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem we made our way through Tuesday, when Jesus was anointed with oil; The last Supper and feet washing on Maundy Thursday; The pain of Good Friday; the emptiness of Saturday; to the joy of Easter Sunday. Each station had a reading, a point to ponder and an interactive element to help each person to enter into the story and respond however they wished.
It was commented that following the whole story in one go really gives a different perspective on the Easter message, and is a great way to begin Holy Week especially if you are unable to attend other services. Next year we hope to repeat the experience and hope you may be able to join us.
Good Friday Easter Garden Build
On Good Friday morning families joined together to make the Easter Garden for St James Church.
This year was our first time all together since the pandemic, so a very special time.
While we built the garden Julia read the story of the crucifixion and the days leading up to it as told in the bible. We also listened to two bible readings about the days following when the disciples discovered Jesus body was gone !
The children made beautiful miniature flower arrangements to decorate the garden.
We took it up to church for display and thought about why we call it Good Friday. When such awful things happened why is it not Bad Friday ?
After a song and a prayer we went back to the church hall for a drink and hot cross buns ! .
The pupils of Wincle School were delighted to welcome members of the local community into school last term to help them on a number of projects.
To prepare for the community’s Jubilee celebrations, the pupils in craft club are being joined my local residents on a weekly basis faced with the huge task of designing and making the decorations for the village. To link with the Jubilee, the task is to make red, white and blue bunting to hang throughout the village linking the three venues for our celebrations: the community Jubilee party by Wincle Brewery, the School’s Jubilee event and the Wincle fete at Burnt House Farm. The pupils are enjoying learning lots of new skills and we can’t wait to see what they have produced.
Local residents also came into school last term to support Jupiter Class with their geography work. Their focus is on Wincle and the surrounding area and they are investigating how beneficial tourism is to the local community. Having identified the reasons why so many people flock to the village and contemplating the advantages and disadvantages of this, it was great to hear the views of local business owners and people living in the local area. The pupils prepared a large number of questions and were pleased to hear many different views and opinions. They explained that they had learnt so much more and that there were many advantages that they had not considered. This also provided an opportunity for the pupils to learn more about what our local area provides.
It was a very busy spring term and the summer term looks even more eventful with parties, residentials, trips and much more. Our annual Easter Service was held in church before the school holiday and we were lucky enough to be joined by many parents. All of the pupils were involved – even our very own Twincle nursery children. The highlight was of course, the spring chickens in Mars Class.
The Wincle and District stand at the Cloud coffee morning held in New Life Church, Congleton.
The speaker at our April meeting was Peter Aston who came to tell us about the ‘Journey from Apples to the Old Saw Mill’. It was one of the most entertaining and inspiring talks we’ve ever had!
His story began in 2009 at a seed swap event organised by Congleton Sustainability Group, when nobody wanted 50kg of rather unremarkable apples. Not wanting to waste them, he managed to gather another 50kg of unwanted apples and took them along to Eddisbury Fruit Farm where they were turned into 109 bottles of apple juice. In 2010 he put out a plea for any unwanted apples, resulting that year in 1200 bottles of apple juice, which were again sold for the charity at farmers’ markets and by the National Trust at Little Moreton Hall and Biddulph Grange.
You can read more about Peter's talk in the full report here: WI Report
Everyday Faith at this years Lay Conference
On the 22nd March clutching items that were to represent our leisure secular activities; in my case a mirror dinghy tiller and rudder and in mum’s a tennis racket, we arrived at Swanick for the lay conference. The items were destined to join a cows udder milking nipple set and numerous gardening, cycling, swimming and painting artefacts.
The theme of the conference was everyday faith, bringing the sacred into the secular and in turn bringing our weekday lives into the church service. To pray in the church service for the activities of those in the congregation, asking individuals to tell the congregation what they will be doing this time tomorrow i.e. Monday mid-morning and thus make real the vision of us all as Christ’s representatives in the workplace. So, the needs and struggles in our workplaces become part of our church life.
The weekend was broken into various Keynote speakers giving biblical teaching and then in the afternoon interactive sessions for practical application in youth, climate change initiatives and worship workshops.
On Saturday evening Paul Kerensa, a comedian who is without a tummy button (you’ll have to google him to find out why) gave us a great laugh.
Bishop Sam had come down with covid so could not attend, but we enjoyed Bishop Mark and Bishop Julie with ample opportunity for net working at mealtimes and coffee breaks. Mum and I escaped for a lovely walk as the weather was glorious and we resisted the urge to pinch some frog spawn as mum’s newly dug pond would benefit.
You might not see us glowing, but we do inside, it was a very refreshing, rewarding, spoiling weekend.
Jenny Ratcliffe
On April 1st a team of volunteers gathered to give the church a much needed thorough spring clean! Cobwebs banished and if it didn’t move it was mopped, hoovered or dusted –duly assisted by John Henshall and Jonathan Marsh for reaching the high bits.
To view church rotas please click here. Rotas
NB - Annual Parish Council Meeting May 19th at 7.30pm
Please note change of date from May 12th