St Mary’s Pype Hayes

NEWS FROM From the Wardens

Christmas 2016

Christmas again—it seems to come around quicker

each year! The Christmas Fair is fast approaching and

the Social Team is busy, with a Craft Group meeting

on Tuesday evenings to make items for sale in the

Fair. The Social Team also recently ran a Film Night

which was an occasion for baked potatoes with fillings

and lots of chat around watching the film together.

Christmas Carol Services for the community and the

local schools are ahead of us. We look forward to

Nigel returning from his sabbatical refreshed and ready

for Advent with renewed vigour and vision for the

parish of St Mary’s. We are grateful to Chris Barnsley,

Edward Furness and all the visiting clergy for their

work over this sabbatical period.

This year has been a time of looking at what we do

and how we can improve. Now that we have a new

roof on the Church Hall, we are looking to refurbish the

inside and have already ordered new chairs and plan

to redecorate early next year. St Mary’s is the “praying

heart of Pype Hayes” but we want to reach out more to

our community and look to growth in numbers; partly

this has been a response to the Leading Your Church

into Growth course which we attended but also

because we want to be intentional in being a part of

our community and seeking to be a blessing in that.

Next year, there will be a confirmation service in

September which will involve members of St Mary’s.

We also plan to hold a “Start” Course for new mem-

bers and a Discipleship course for those who want to

grow their faith during the year. Recently we have had

visiting speakers from two of our mission partners,

Birmingham City Mission & St Basils.

As seems normal at St Mary’s, we have seen people

come and grow spiritually, and then move on to other

areas and become part of other churches. Recently we

have said goodbye to Carole Hedderley who has been

our Cell Team leader but has now moved to Stafford-

shire. We wish her well and pray that as she becomes

a part of her new church family God blesses them all.

Sadly, since we last wrote, God has called home two

more of our church family. Barry (Baz) Newall was a

member of St Mary’s for many years and also very

involved in the Scout movement for over 50 years.

Members of the church family were able to help him

close to his death, and Nigel and Chris conducted his

funeral. Bill Clarke, who has worshipped with us for the

last few years, also passed away recently, and Chris

felt privileged to take his funeral.

We pray that you all have a blessed Advent and

Christmas time and look forward to all that we have

planned for the New Year.

Paul Cockrill & Lynda Payant

From Reader Chris Barnsley

‘And all who heard it were amazed.......’ (Luke 2:18) As I write this, I am preparing for our Harvest Service which this year focuses not only on the fruits of our effort, but also the seeds for our future. I am writing as Nigel is on Sabbatical. Yes, seven years have passed since his last Sabbatical – a time for reflection, recharging and new vision, all of which can too often be obliterated by the day to day demands of serving a parish. I feel it is a good time too for St Mary’s to pause and reflect on the positives we have achieved as a church family during these past seven years: Together we have: Celebrated the 80

th and 85

th anniver-

saries of St Mary’s presence and influence in this parish, funded a new roof for the Church Hall enabling us to continue to use that space for worship and community events, supported Nigel serving as Aston Area Dean, witnessed the dissolution of the Erdington Team, chang-ing Nigel’s role from Team Vicar to Vicar of the Benefice of St Mary’s Pype Hayes, sent out Ordinands, grown 2 Readers, grown disciples and leaders through Alpha, 3D and Growing Leaders courses, seen the fruit of those courses in individuals feeling ‘called’ to serve as Team Leaders, each team responsible for a different area of church life, introduced new and different style services - All Souls Service, Breakfast Together Service, built on our relationships with our local schools and community working partners, forged stronger links with Mercy Air in South Africa and SAM Ministries in Mozambique, fund- raised to help build a bridge to make a safe river crossing for the school children there and to build a school house for the female staff at the school at Mucombeze, sent out a seven strong Vision Team to South Africa and Mozam-bique who put a roof on the school house and decorated the interior while there. Etc, etc, etc........... Amazing challenges undertaken by what Nigel describes as St Mary’s ‘small leaky boat.’ ‘Small’ – yes; ‘leaky’ – positively so – God calling individuals to step boldly out of our boat to work with and encourage others in different boats. And still our faithful God keeps this ‘small leaky boat’ afloat, with new courses to plot. We look forward

Office: 0121 382 3585 Email: admin@stmarysb24.org www.stmarysb24.org

“When the shepherds had seen Jesus, they spread the word

concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed...”

Luke 2:17-18a

eagerly to our ‘captain’s’ wisdom when he returns in December. ‘All who heard the good news from the shepherds were amazed.’ I pray that as you prepare this Advent to welcome the Christ child anew, you will take time to reflect on what God has done in your life this past year, to thank Him, and be ready to invite Him to continue His work in you and through you in the year ahead, fully pre-pared to be further amazed! Glory to God in the highest!

Reader Chris Barnsley,

St Mary’s, Pype Hayes