Mobile St Mark's

You can now keep up to date on your mobile!

Point your mobile browser at http://www.stmarkssaltney.org.uk/m/ From here you can listen to sermons and access the blog, Twitter and facebook.


You can also view the mobile version of the blog at http://stmarkssaltney.blogspot.com/?m=1
Follow us on Twitter at http://mobile.twitter.com/StMarksSaltney
And find us on facebook here: http://m.facebook.com/stmarkssaltney

Sunday Lunch 8th January

On Sunday 8th January, the Youth of St Mark’s will be serving up a Roast Dinner, cooked by Joan and her team. Tickets are priced £5 or £2.50 for under 11s.


All profits from the meal will be going  towards the Youth Min-Y-Don Trip in February.  Do come along and give the Young People your support and enjoy a Sunday Roast with the church family. Tickets are selling well. You can get yours by popping into the office or email Maggie and she will reserve some for you.

Pictures from the Nativity

New Sermon Series

The sermon series for Spring 2012 is now available for download at http://www.stmarkssaltney.org.uk/Sermons.htm where you can also catch up with all our sermons from previous months. 

  

A Call to Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who was hanged by the Nazis in 1945 wrote a book entitled ‘The Cost of Discipleship’, and in it he wrote about costly grace in contrast to cheap grace. He said, ‘cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. Above all it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son, and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. And it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God’. And the Incarnation of God is what we have just been celebrating a few weeks ago at Christmas, and continue to celebrate throughout our Christian journey. The Incarnate God still calls us today to follow Him, and still it is costly. This Spring Sermon Series we will be looking at ‘A call to discipleship’ helping us to see afresh what it really means to follow Jesus, and how we can help others to do the same. Are we willing to dedicate our lives fully to following Christ by presenting our bodies to him as a living sacrifice, offering ourselves to Him to use us as He so desires enabling more of His Kingdom to be built here on earth?

1Peter - Living in the world but not of the world Peter was writing to Jewish Christians who were experiencing extreme persecution for their faith. He wrote to comfort them, reminding them of the hope of the resurrection, and to encourage them to continue to live holy lives, even in their suffering. Peter can write with empathy and authority because he knew what it was to be persecuted, having been beaten and imprisoned many times. But more importantly he knew Christ, and nothing could shake his confidence in his risen Lord. His Lord whom he had misunderstood, rejected and run away from, and His Lord who had forgiven and reinstated him, and given him the task of building His Church.    As we continue as a church to seek God’s vision for the future I believe this book could have a significant impact on our discipleship and in the renewal of our faith. It is a book all about Vision and a coming together of God’s people to see it fulfilled – how exciting is that?!

St Marks is now on facebook

You can now find us on facebook!

Sermon from Sunday 11th December

The sermon from Sunday evening 11th December is now available for download here.

The last in our series on NehemiahA warning against complacency Nehemiah 13 Geoff Belton

Photos from Civic Service

Civic Service

We are hosting a Civic Service at St. Mark's

Sunday 11th at 10.45am.  

Everyone is invited to the service and to stay for lunch afterwards.

Sermon from 4th December

The sermon from Sunday evening 4th December is now available for download here.

It's time to celebrate and worship

Nehemiah 12: 27-47

Rev Hennie Johnston

Hennie's monthly Blog for December

Dear All,

This morning, 5th December, really does feel like Winter. As I begin to write this message I am sitting in front of my computer with freezing hands, and a scarf around my neck, whereas Chanty is curled up on my bed looking very snug and warm. Priorities in the Vicarage don't seem quite right to me?!

Talking about priorities, we have now arrived in the season of Advent, essentially a season of patient waiting, a discipline which does not come naturally to many of us, at least not to me! Advent means 'coming' or 'arrival', and it's a time of preparation for the celeberation of Christmas when the first coming of God's Son to the world is recalled, and a period of reflection pointing us to Christ's second coming at the end of time. I said on Advent Sunday, 27th November, how, I believe, Advent has been kidnapped by Christmas, not only by the world of consumerism advertising Christmas at the end of September with Christmas cards and shop displays, but also by the Church with Christingle, Nativity, and Carol services starting ever earlier in December - the season of waiting is enveloped by the Christmas story right at the beginning of Advent.

Archbishop John Sentamu says, 'today we are encouraged to take the waiting out of wanting, cut to the chase, and get what we want right away, as though there is nothing worth waiting for. This Advent book dares to defy all that'. He says this as part of his Forward for a book entitled, 'The Meaning is in the Waiting - The Spirit of Advent' by Paula Gooder, which is my current Advent reading. Can I encourage you all who are taking time to read this blog, to find some space in these coming weeks, whether daily, or weekly, to stop from what you are doing, and wait on God, and reflect what the true Reason is for the Season of Advent, as well for the Reason for the Season of Christmas - for the meaning will be found in the waiting.

As I reflect back on a very busy November, I see the importance of waiting on God, for waiting is not a passive discipline, rather it is a radical discipline, where one is actively present to the moment, expecting that new things will happen, new things that are far beyond our own imagination or prediction. And lots of things happened in November. I attended a number of conferences organised by the Diocese. An excellent day celebrating the power of preaching - 'Alive to the Word' - organised by Chester Diocese and the College of Preachers, with key address from Bishop Peter, sermon from Revd. Christine Bull, and a good choice of workshops. The church wardens, Tony Slade, and myself attended a very good evening on Parish giving, again organised by the Diocese with different talks, and various workshops - very helpful and informative. The other conference I attended was a 3 day conference at Foxhill entitled 'Changing Posts', where each person had to give a 30 minute presentation on their new parish with 40 minutes of questioning! After my presentation most people commented how busy we were as a church - perhaps even more important that we 'wait & watch'. We had mixed input from different people throughout the three days, including an excellent session with Bishop Robert.

Also in November we had a very powerful Alpha Holy Spirit Day at church attended by those on the course, and others from St. Mark's and the Lighthouse. We listened to three talks, had time in groups and finished with worship and ministry - many people were deeply touched by the power of the Holy Spirit - praise God!

I finished my November blog by asking you to continue to pray and listen to God as we seek to know who He is calling us to be, and where He is calling us to go? At the PCC in November I presented some draft statements under the heading 'Is this Us'? looking at our identity, purpose, values and vision, and it was agreed that these drafts would be presented to the church. This has now happened, and the draft statements are on public viewing in The Link at St. Mark's. The PCC is asking you all to take the opportunity of reading them, reflecting on them, and then feeding back to the PCC, Church Wardens, or myself, with your thoughts by the beginning of January, so that the feedback can be looked at by the PCC at the January meeting on Monday January 16th. Whatever the journey is that God is calling us to embark on, it is important that it is not the PCC, or Vicar's vision, but that the whole church has had the opportunity to engage, listen and pray. So your feeback is very important, and will be much appreciated.

Perhaps this is part of our Advent waiting? Waiting & praying to see how, 'Is this Us?' becomes 'This is Us'. We wait with eagerness and anticipation to know 'Who God is calling us to be, and where He is calling us to go', actively present to the moment, expecting that new things will happen, new things that are far beyond our own imagination or prediction!

May you make space for 'waiting & watching' this Advent, in preparation for a joyous celebration this Christmas time when we welcome the arrival of the Christ child - Immanuel - God with us.

May God bless you all this December, love and prayers Hennie

Christmas Float

Wednesday 7th December from 6 - 8 pm

Come and join Churches Together's Christmas float as we travel through Lache blessing the residents with carol singing, mince pies & sweets. Please  Meet at Asda, Saltney, at 6pm. Come dressed as a Christmas character, or as yourself, but  the  more the merrier  – it‟s a Christmas event for all ages, but there will  be some walking. We also ask if you could bring some Mince pies on the evening to give out to the residents.

Children's Society - make runaways safe?

At our Christingle Service we will be collecting the donation candles to help the work of the Children's Society.


Currently they are running a campaign about children who run away from home, "make runaways safe?"

 Every five minutes a child in the UK runs away from Home

    

Every child who has run away deserves to be protected through a national safety net of support.Without help, these children are highly vulnerable and at risk of substance abuse, sexual exploitation and homelessness. They need to know that there are people who can help them and services that they can turn to.

You can help by donating online here.

There is also an online petition that you can sign

Lord,

Is it too much to ask, that children should not be frightened?
Is it too much to hope, that they wont have to run away?

Is it too much to demand that those on the streets will be safe and looked after?

Is it too much to dream that one day they will find a place that they can call home?

Amen

Saltney Christmas Parade

 What a fantastic event!

Sermons from 27th November

The sermons from Sunday 27th November are now available for download here.

Morning:  Advent Sunday Mark 13:24-37 Rev Simon Chesters
Evening:  Generosity before God Nehemiah 10 Rev Wendy Steadman

Christingle Sunday 4th December

Our Christingle Service is this Sunday at 10:45.
Suitable for all ages - come along and join the celebrations.

The Children’s Society first introduced Christingle to The Church of England in 1968, and it has since become one of the most popular events for families and communities in the church calendar.

Symbolism 

• The orange – represents the world
• The red ribbon – indicates the love and blood of Christ
• The dried fruits and sweets – symbols of God’s creations
• The lit candle – symbolises Jesus, the light of the world

We will be collecting Gifts and Food  during the Service.  Please consider bringing a gift (NEW, unwrapped, for any age – baby to adult) and/or non-perishable Christmas food items to help local Families in need.

We will also be collecting the Children's Society Candle collecting boxes.