The blog for St Michael & All Angels Church, Bishop's Cleeve

Office Coffee Morning - April 2026

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:30:39 GMT

Thank you

Thank you to those who came to our Office Coffee Morning on Wednesday 22 April to raise money for one of our Mission Partners, Grassroots Rwanda - we raised £75.00!

It was lovely to see you all and to chat about various things over tea/coffee and cake.

Thank you also to Peter Muir who came along to talk to people about Grassroots Rwanda and to show us pictures of his latest trip.

For more information about Grassroots Rwanda, please click the button below:

Thank you from Anna Chaplaincy

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:10:02 GMT

Dear All Knitters and Friends of CaBiC

Thank you once again for all the wonderful, knitted Easter Pockets which you generously made for the residents of all our local care homes in Cheltenham and Bishops Cleeve. They were filled with a small packet of tissues and delivered by some of our volunteers.

I have included some photos for you, and a couple of the comments which have come in.

‘Thank you very much for the lovely, knitted pouches for Easter. They were very much appreciated by the residents. Photos! attached!’

‘I just wanted to say, on behalf of our residents, thank you so much for the knitted gifts. The residents are very taken by them and complimented the work and talent that went into them. It is so appreciated!’

Thank you very much for your continued support in our knitted projects, and we hope you continue to enjoy making them as much as people enjoy receiving them; but if your circumstances change and you would prefer not to be contacted in relation to any future projects, then please do let me know.

Kind regards,

Brian, Rachel & the CaBiC team

APCM and Annual Vision Meeting

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:28:50 GMT

Parish of Bishop's Cleeve with Southam

Our Annual Vision Meeting – the AGM for the Parish of Bishop’s Cleeve with Southam – will take place on Monday 20 April at 6.30pm in St Michael’s Church.

The meeting, which will focus on our vision for the future of our ministry in our parish, will include the election of our Churchwardens, as well as our APCM.

All those on our electoral roll are encouraged to attend.

Our APCM booklet is now published on our website and can be downloaded here, along with our financial report.

There will be some paper copies of this booklet in Church also.

Experience Easter

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:57:44 GMT

A Joy-Filled Journey With Our Local Schools!

Last week, over the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of March, our church was buzzing with energy, excitement, and 200 enthusiastic Year Three children as we welcomed them for Experience Easter. What a joy it was!

Across the three days, pupils from our local schools stepped into a hands-on adventure through the Easter story—moving from scene to scene as the narrative came to life around them.

Palm Sunday: A Royal Welcome

We began with Palm Sunday, where the children discovered what it meant for Jesus to be welcomed like a king.

A Servant Heart: Jesus Washes Feet

Next, we explored how Jesus showed true leadership—not with fancy titles or power, but through humility. The children were fascinated to learn why washing feet was such a big deal and what it tells us about loving and serving others. They also had the chance to clean their own then each other’s shoes.

The Last Supper: Bread, Wine, and Remembrance

At the Last Supper station, our young visitors reflected on the meaning behind the bread and wine. They learned why Jesus asked his friends (and us!) to remember him in such a simple but powerful way.

Gethsemane: Not Alone

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the tone shifted thoughtfully as we explored how Jesus felt alone—and how, when we feel the same, we can always reach out to him. It was a beautiful moment of quiet reflection.

The Cross: A Story of Love

At the cross, we shared the story of the crucifixion in a gentle, age-appropriate way, helping the children understand the depth of Jesus’ love and sacrifice.

Easter Sunday: Empty Tomb, Full Hearts

We ended with the joy of Easter morning! The children loved discovering that an empty Easter egg can actually be a reminder of the empty tomb.

Empty egg, empty tomb—Jesus is alive!
A simple message with a huge meaning.

A Huge Thank You!

To everyone who helped make these sessions happen—your time, creativity, and teamwork made the experience truly special. It was wonderful to work together and to share the heart of Easter with so many young people.

Here’s to many more moments of community, joy, and shared faith!

Lucy Betts

Children and Families Minister

Below is a picture of some lovely 'thank yous' received after Experience Easter.

Grassroots Rwanda

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:06:38 GMT

Supporting Grassroots Rwanda

Pete Muir from Grassroots Rwanda Visits St Michael’s, Bishop’s Cleeve

On Sunday 8th March we were delighted to welcome Pete Muir from Grassroots Rwanda to preach at St Michael’s Church, Bishop’s Cleeve. Pete shared with us stories and reflections from his most recent visit to Rwanda, weaving his experiences into our reading from Genesis and helping us see the passage in a fresh and practical way.

Hearing first-hand about the work taking place in Rwanda was both inspiring and challenging. Pete spoke about the communities that Grassroots Rwanda supports and the importance of investing in land, education, and opportunity so that families can build stable and hopeful futures. His stories reminded us how faith, generosity, and practical action can come together to make a real difference.

If you weren’t able to join us on the day, you can watch Pete’s sermon by simply scrolling down to watch below or by clicking this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5B_YA0euDs or

During the service Pete also shared two opportunities for us to support projects in Rwanda through fundraising pages he has set up for Grassroots Rwanda.

1. Supporting Land for the Project
This fundraiser is helping provide land that will enable long-term development and sustainability for the work taking place.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/peter-muir-13

2. Supporting the Nursery
This fundraiser will help support the nursery, giving young children a safe and nurturing place to learn and grow.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/peter-muir-12

If you would like to support either of these projects, please do take a look at the pages above and consider giving if you are able.

We are very grateful to Pete for joining us and for sharing so honestly about the work of Grassroots Rwanda. Please continue to keep Pete, the team, and the communities they serve in your prayers.

Palm Sunday Walk and Easter Extravaganza

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:34:12 GMT

Sunday 29 March

We’d love you to join us for our Palm Sunday walk and Easter Extravaganza!

We’ll meet inside St Michael’s Church at 2.00pm, before setting off together at 2.15pm to walk to Gotherington Village Hall. Please don’t worry if you can’t make the whole route - you’re very welcome to join the walk at any point along the way, or simply meet us at the Village Hall to join in the fun there.

When we arrive, our Easter Extravaganza team will be ready to welcome you with refreshments, Easter activity stations and, of course, an Easter egg hunt for the children.

Last year was such a wonderful afternoon and we’re excited to do it again this year! Do come along and join us!

A map of the walk route is below

Meet at St Michaels: 2pm, walk starts 2.15pm

Extravaganza in Gotherington Village Hall: 3pm

Quiz Night - January 2026

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:22:45 GMT

Thank you to all who supported our Quiz Night

St Michael’s Centre is home to our lively Praise & Play toddler groups and our new Sunday Morning Explorers sessions.

On Friday 30 January, St Michael’s Church and St Michael’s Centre came together to host a fundraising quiz night. The aim was to raise money to help offset rising resource costs for these sessions and, most importantly, to avoid increasing prices for the young families who attend.

With huge thanks to everyone who supported the evening, it was a thoroughly enjoyable night. We shared food together – pasties and beans were on the menu – before getting down to the main event: the quiz, expertly led by Rev Ben as quiz master. Midway through the evening, Lucy Betts spoke about the work we do with local children and families, reminding us all why these sessions matter so much.

Thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of those who joined us, we raised a fantastic £835.96. Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening such a success.

Thank you from CaBiC

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:17:03 GMT

for all the knitted Christmas stars

Dear All Knitters and Friends of CaBiC

We would like to give you all a big thank you for the knitted Christmas Stars which you generously made for the residents of our local care homes. They were once again all individual and beautiful and they were packaged up into Christmas bags with Christmas cards and taken to the following care homes; Astell House, Badgeworth Court, Bafford House, Bay Tree Court, Bishops Cleeve, Beechwood, Charlton Kings, Crofton Springs, Dalkeith Residential, Faithful House, Hampton House, Lilleybrook, Monkscroft Care Centre, Grevill House, Queens Bridge, Nazareth House, Richmond, Royal Court, Sandfield’s, St Faiths, Thirlestaine Park, Wentworth Court, Whittington House, and Windsor Street.

Here is one very special comment we have had about last year’s knitted trees

‘I should have said a big thank you for the knitted Christmas trees……on Sunday afternoon for our Christmas carols…. the residents absolutely loved having a lucky dip to choose a tree. It was really special to hear some of them talking about what sort of tree they would like as they rummaged around in the bag, searching for the one that was sparkly, or pretty, or colourful, or realistic, or whatever it was that mattered to them. They were delighted that, even if their room was too small for many decorations, they could definitely have a tree of their own. To be honest, their delight was far beyond what I was expecting, and it was a highlight of a wonderful afternoon’.

Thank you very much for your continued support in our knitted projects, you obviously enjoy making them as much as people enjoy receiving them, but if your circumstances change and you would prefer not to be contacted in relation to any future projects, then please do let me know.

Brian & the CaBiC team

If you would like to take part for Easter, here is the information for our Easter Pockets.

As Easter is quite early this year, Palm Sunday is the 29 March, we have decided on an easy pattern, which we hope you will enjoy! The plan is to put a small packet of tissues inside each one.

We do hope that you might be willing (and able) to continue to support us by knitting again this year.

Please leave the pockets in the basket at the back of church, or drop them into the church office by Friday 27 February 2026.

2 x Lent Courses - 25/26 February

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:51:19 GMT

2 x Lent Courses - 25/26 February

The Quiet Revival research ( https://theresource.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/The-Quiet-Revival.pdf ) and widespread anecdotal evidence is telling us that more people are coming to church and exploring faith, especially young adults. Many are eager to understand the Bible better but aren’t always sure where to start. As a church family, we want to respond. This Lent, we are running two Bible courses which offer a friendly, relaxed space to explore the whole story of the Bible together, in order to grow in confidence, and deepen faith. They are also designed for mature Christians who want to be better equipped to support and encourage others on their faith journey.

Ben will be leading the daytime course in Gotherington on Wednesday afternoons at 1pm on 25 February, 4 March, 11 March, 18 March, 25 March

Tim will be leading an evening course in St Michael's on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm on 26 February, 5 March, 12 March, 19 March, 26 March

All are very welcome!!

Online services for 28 December

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:51:36 GMT

Please see below for online services

If you would like a service on Sunday 28 December, please see below for three options, click each button to access each option.

Christmas 1 online service led by Ben, available from 9.30 am on 28 December

Church of England online service

Radio 4 Sunday Worship

A Joyful Christingle Celebration

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:35:43 GMT

God's love shining in the world

This past Sunday, 7th December, our church was filled to the brim for our annual Christingle service. It was a truly special occasion, with the congregation gathering together to celebrate the light of Christ in the midst of the Advent season.

But the joy didn’t stop there. We were delighted to welcome three of our local pre-schools for their very own Pre-School Christingle service. The children brought such energy and excitement, filling the church with singing, listening, and wide-eyed wonder as they heard the Christmas story. Together, they crafted their own Christingles—a beautiful reminder of God’s love shining in the world.

The atmosphere was one of warmth, community, and celebration. It was wonderful to see so many people come together, young and old alike, to share in this tradition.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who helped make these services possible, and to the pre-schools for joining us. Your presence made the day even more memorable.

What a lovely way to begin the Christmas season!

Below are some photos of the team putting together the Christingles in the Church Office last week.

Experience Christmas 2025

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:24:39 GMT

A Week to Remember!

This week has been nothing short of magical! ✨ Three of our four local primary schools brought their Year 3 classes to join us for Experience Christmas—and what an adventure it’s been.

Together, we stepped into the Christmas story, exploring five beautiful parts that remind us of the true meaning of the season:

�� Preparation – Preparing our hearts for what’s to come
�� The Announcement – Mary and her incredible visit from the Angel
�� The Journey – Joseph and Mary’s trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem
�� The Promises – The Wisemen following the star
�� The Message – The Shepherds hearing the good news

And just when the story reached its most joyful moment, the children discovered “The Gift” —the birth of Jesus. We shared how Jesus is God’s gift to the world, and if He had come with a tag, it would have read:

To the world with love from God

The children’s faces lit up as they grasped the wonder of that message. ��

A huge thank you to our amazing team who made this possible—it was a time filled with laughter, learning, and a whole lot of joy. And we’re not done yet! Next stop: Gotherington Primary on Wednesday, 10th December .

So far, 210 children have heard the Good News of Jesus through Experience Christmas this year. What a blessing to share this story of hope and love with so many young hearts.

Lucy Betts

Childrens and Family Minister

Praise and Play Extra

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 10:32:28 GMT

Sundays Just Got Even More Joyful!

�� Praise and Play Extra — Sundays Just Got Even More Joyful! ��✂️

We’re feeling incredibly blessed in our benefice to run three vibrant parents and toddler groups , each one bursting with fun, faith, and friendship. It’s a joy to see little ones singing, crafting, and learning about Jesus — and now, we’re bringing that same spirit to Sundays!

�� Introducing Praise and Play Extra ��

Designed to bridge the gap between our weekday Praise and Play sessions and the Sunday morning Crèche , this new group will run on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of each month. Expect the same heartwarming mix of songs, stories, and crafts — all with a Christian focus and lots of smiles.

We’re launching this alongside some exciting updates to our Sunday Morning Explorers Sessions , making church mornings even more welcoming for families.

�� Got children aged 0–4?

Bring them along when the service leader invites children to head out to their groups. If you’re happy to, you can leave them with our lovely team — all DBS-checked and trained in safeguarding — so you can enjoy the service knowing they’re in safe hands.

�� Questions? Reach out to Lucy Betts at lbetts@stmbc.uk — she’d love to hear from you!

Let’s keep growing faith and fun together — one joyful Sunday at a time ��✨

Exciting News for Sunday Mornings in 2026

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 10:18:32 GMT

New adventures for our children and young people at St Michael's

From January 2026 , we’re shaking things up (in the best way!) with how we do our Sunday morning children’s work —and we think you’re going to love it!

�� What’s Changing?
If you’ve been around on the 4th or 5th Sundays , you’ll know that our children and young people have been heading over to St Michael’s Centre for a special “Altogether” session. We worship, hear God’s Story, and then dive deeper—some through craft , others through chat and discussion . After that, we rejoin the main service for the final part.

Well… we’re making this our new normal for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of each month!

�� What’s New?
We’re adding a splash of holiday club magic to make these sessions even more fun and welcoming. Whether your child comes every week or just pops in for special events, we want them to feel right at home—and excited to bring their friends along too!

�� How Will It Work?

We’ll all start together in church for the first two songs.

Then, the children will head over to the Centre with the team.
If your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 , we’ll ask you to walk over with them.
If they’re in Year 3 and up , they can go with the team once they’re checked in.

We’ll return just before the end of the service—and if the moment’s right, the children and young people might even share what they’ve been learning !

�� What About Crèche and Youth?
We’re working on some exciting updates for our Crèche and Sunday Morning Youth too—so stay tuned for more info coming soon!

We can’t wait to step into this new season with you and your families. It’s going to be full of joy, creativity, and growing together in faith. Let’s walk this path together—and don’t forget to bring your glitter-loving, question-asking, story-loving little ones along for the journey!

With love,
The Children & Families Team at St Michael’s

Prayer at St Michael's

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 18:01:42 GMT

View our poster below displaying all our regular prayer activities that you could get involved with.

Building Resilience and Supporting Positive Mental Wellbeing

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:00:07 GMT

Marking World Mental Health Day 2025 at Cleeve School

Every year on 10th October , people around the world mark World Mental Health Day — a time to pause, reflect, and talk openly about how we’re really doing. This year, Cleeve School invited the chaplaincy team — Revd Ben Williams and Amy Todd — to help students explore what it means to build resilience and care for their mental wellbeing in today’s world.

As part of this, the team invited a local psychotherapist , who is also a Christian , to join Ben for a thoughtful Zoom interview . Together, they explored some of the most common emotional experiences that many of us share — whether young or old, believer or not.

Their conversation touched on deep and very human themes such as:

Depression – understanding the spark that can cause the fire of depression.
Shame – noticing this self talk as lies.
Willpower – learning to challenge ourselves with difficult tasks.
Anxiety – leaning into gratitude as the antidote to anxiety.

Throughout the conversation, the psychotherapist offered practical principles and top tips for supporting positive mental health — simple, grounded ideas that anyone can try.

You can listen to the full audio of their discussion below. We really encourage you to take a moment to listen, reflect, and maybe share it with a young person in your life. Let it spark a healthy, honest conversation about how you and they are truly doing.

��️ Even in the darkest moments, light exists if you have faith to see it. - Dean Koontz

As a chaplaincy team, our hope is that this conversation helps build understanding, compassion, and resilience within our school and church community — reminding each of us that we are never alone in what we’re going through.

Listen to the audio below:

Church Office Coffee Morning October 2025

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 09:33:58 GMT

Thank you!

What a lovely morning we had, the Church Office was 'buzzing' with people, chat, tea, coffee and CAKE!

We met some new people, saw some of our regular members of our congregation and found out more about North Cotswold Foodbank.

Thank you to all who:

baked
bought cake
attended
helped us raise £130.03 for the North Cotswold Foodbank.

A special thank you to Anne Paul who came in, helped set up and clear away and made sure everyone who came in had a drink and cake.

Save the date of 17 December in your diaries for another Office Coffee Morning.

School Harvest Festivals

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 09:09:06 GMT

A week of Thankfulness

Over the week beginning 29th September, our team had the joy and privilege of visiting four wonderful local primary schools to share in their Harvest Festival celebrations:

Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy
Grangefield Primary
Woodmancote Primary
Gotherington Primary

Each assembly was a special moment to reflect on the theme of Thankfulness —not just for the big things in life, but also for the small, everyday blessings we often overlook.

We shared the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 , a powerful reminder of how gratitude transforms even the smallest offering. With just five loaves and two fishes, Jesus gave thanks and performed a miracle that fed thousands. It’s a story that continues to inspire generosity and faith.

In that same spirit, the children and staff at each school have been collecting donations for The Food Bank , showing how small acts of kindness can make a big difference in our community.

Altogether, we reached approximately 1,530 children with the message of thankfulness

and the miracle of sharing. It’s been a heartwarming week full of smiles, stories, and the spirit of giving.

Thank you to all the schools for welcoming us so warmly—and thank you to every child who listened, shared, and gave. You’ve made this harvest season truly special.

Lucy Betts

Children's and Family Minister

Space Hoppers Holiday Club

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 11:51:07 GMT

A Galactic Adventure of Faith, Fun & Gunge!

Wow —what an out-of-this-world week we had at our Space Hoppers Summer Holiday Club ! Over three jam-packed days, we launched into space, time-traveled through the Bible, and discovered just how amazing God’s love truly is.

��️ Time Travel with Peter the Disciple

Each day, our brave leaders hopped into their time machines and landed in the first century to interview Peter , one of Jesus’ closest friends. Through these encounters, we learned:

How Peter was chosen to follow Jesus
The moment he denied knowing Jesus ��
And the beautiful story of forgiveness and purpose Jesus gave him ��

The best part? We discovered that Jesus chooses each of us too —even when we mess up, He forgives us and gives us a mission to share His love with the world. That’s a message worth shouting from the stars!

�� Three Zones of Intergalactic Fun

Our club was divided into three stellar zones:

Games Zone : Lots of running around and fun parachute games
Craft Zone : Creative masterpieces that were out of this world!
Lego Zone : telling the Bible story one brick at a time

We also had Messy games, quizzes, and action songs (featuring some truly unforgettable dancing sheep ��)

�� Star Ship St Michaels Drama

Our drama team took us aboard the Star Ship St Michaels , where the crew was on a mission to spread the Good News of Mission Command —living out goodness, kindness, generosity, honesty, and mercy . Despite a few cosmic hiccups, they completed their mission and reminded us all of the power of faith and friendship.

�� Gunge Galore!

And of course... THE GUNGE! ��
Every day ended with a gloriously gooey splash of gunge, much to the delight of the children (and the horror of a few brave volunteers!). It was messy, it was hilarious, and it was the perfect way to wrap up each day.

�� Thank You & Keep Praying

A massive thank you to everyone who helped, prayed, and supported this incredible week. Your love and dedication made it all possible. Please keep praying for the children—that the seeds planted during Space Hoppers will grow strong in their hearts and minds.

Until next time, keep hopping through the galaxy of God’s love! ��✨

Southam Church Floor Restoration

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 10:56:28 GMT

Our restoration is complete and Church of the Ascension has re-opened

Back in August 2024 we launched an appeal to raise much needed funds to restore the floor at The Church of the Ascension, Southam.

This unique, ancient and beautiful church was built in the twelfth century as a private chapel. In the seventeenth century it was used as a barn but it was rescued in the nineteenth century and became a chapel again.

In 1957, it was re-consecrated as the Church of the Ascension, Southam, and became the daughter church of the Church of St Michael and All Angels in the Parish of Bishop’s Cleeve. It still contains some treasures, including misericords, memorials and a medieval painting. More importantly, it stands as a witness to a Christian presence in this village and a place of worship in the love of Jesus Christ. It is a central part of the history, heritage and faith of Southam.

Following the quinquennial inspection by our Church Surveyor, it was found that we needed extensive work to repair and conserve the church floor. We expected this work to cost between £30,000 and £35,000. We gathered competitive quotes and obtained permission from the Diocesan Advisory Committee. We could find £10,000 from our own fund towards this extra cost, but we needed to raise about £20,000 from other sources.

Pictures showing the work that needed doing:

Following a fantastic response from many people within the community and Church community offering financial support, by the end of January 2025 we had enough money pledged to begin the work. We started collecting the pledges raised by individuals, companies and by applying for various grants.

Then followed the work, including removing the carpet which had been covering up the floor, removing the pews, dismantling the organ, getting in specialists to remove the asbestos and then getting Kevin Paul, stone mason in to begin the restoration.

This work started in April 2025 with services continuing to be held at the nearby Southam Village Hall throughout the closure of the Church. Work was fully completed by the end of June, with the pews going back in, and the organ being rebuilt.

Pictures taken after the work:

On Sunday 13th July 2025 at 9.30 am Revd Ben Williams led a Re-dedication service, including Holy Communion, at The Church of the Ascension. This was well attended by many, including Kevin Paul and his Mum Anne, who is a regular member of our congregation.

Refreshments and chat followed the service.

Thank you so much to all those who were involved in this process:

Everybody who has contributed to the cost.
Our church surveyor for guidance.
John Donovan for project management and for restoring the oak panelling and for repairing the organ swell.
The Village Hall Committee for hosting services while works were under way.
The Tithe Barn owners for accommodating contractors as needed and for storing the furniture.
All contractors for good work done and fair pricing.
St Michael’s brass team for cleaning brasses.
Ann Jessop for grant fund raising.

PIctures taken at the Re-dedication service:

🚀 Holiday Club 2025 – Space Hoppers!

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 10:32:47 GMT

HOLIDAY CLUB IS BACK 2025!!

�� Holiday Club 2025 – Space Hoppers!

We’re thrilled to announce that our Holiday Club is back this summer , and it's going to be out of this world! Best of all? It’s completely free!

�� When and Where?

Join us from Tuesday 12th August to Thursday 14th August , running each day from 10am to 2pm .

This exciting event is open to all children who will be going into Years 1–6 in September 2025 .

�� What’s Included?

A free packed lunch each day
Fun-filled activities, games, crafts, and stories
And yes… actual bouncy space hoppers !

��‍��‍��‍�� Family Invitation – Thursday 14th August

On Thursday afternoon , we're inviting all families to stay a little longer for some refreshments and food , and to see what the children have been up to throughout the week. It’s a great chance to connect, celebrate, and share some laughs!

�� What’s the Theme?

This year’s theme is “Space Hoppers” – and while the name might suggest intergalactic bouncing fun (which we definitely have), we’ll also be traveling through time to explore the life of a very special biblical character. But no spoilers… you’ll have to wait and see!

✍️ Sign Up Now!

Spots are limited, so if you’d like to register your child, click the link below to sign up :

�� https://forms.gle/W1zXKwVyu5gksGoK7

We can't wait to blast off into another fantastic week together – see you there!

Joy, Community, and Teddy Bears in Flight:

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 11:34:10 GMT

St Michael’s at the Bishop’s Cleeve Street Fair

What a day to remember! The Bishop’s Cleeve Street Fair was once again a highlight of our village calendar—and St Michael’s Church was right at the heart of the festivities. With a warm welcome, delicious refreshments, a showcase of our mission partners, and a sky full of brave teddy bears, the day was a celebration of community, generosity, and good cheer.

Our church doors were open wide as we invited fairgoers in for tea, coffee, and a tempting array of homemade cakes. The aroma alone was enough to draw a crowd, and it was a joy to see the church buzzing with laughter, chatter, and smiling faces of all ages. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who baked, brewed, served, and washed up—your hospitality made a real difference and gave many people a chance to experience the warmth of our church family.

Inside, we also had beautiful and informative displays celebrating our mission partners—the organisations and individuals we support in their work both locally and globally - find out more about them there (link to their page). It was wonderful to see so many people taking the time to learn more about these important missions. Your curiosity and generosity help us stay connected to a wider story of hope, faith, and service.

But of course, one of the most exciting—and gravity-defying—moments of the day was our teddy bear parachute jump from the top of the church tower! With a crowd gathered below and eager young faces turned skyward, we launched 57 teddies into the air, each equipped with their own miniature parachute. Cheers and giggles erupted as the bears floated down (some more gracefully than others!) to our rescue team (The local Brownies). A huge thank you to our brave bear handlers and our volunteers at the tower—what a sight it was!

None of this would have been possible without the incredible team of volunteers who gave their time, talents, and energy so generously. Whether you were setting up tables, guiding visitors, serving cake, managing bear logistics, or simply being a welcoming presence—thank you. You helped make this event a joyful reflection of what church community is all about.

We feel incredibly blessed to be part of a village where such events bring people together in fun, faith, and friendship. And to all who visited St Michael’s—thank you for being part of it. We hope you left with full hearts (and maybe full stomachs!), and we can’t wait to welcome you again soon.

Until next year—keep your parachutes packed and your cake forks ready!

The Big Prayer Challenge

Fri, 09 May 2025 17:11:20 GMT

From Sunday 8th to Sunday 22nd June , we’re stepping into something powerful as a community – and we’d love you to be part of it.

Introducing The Big Prayer Challenge 2025 : a bold goal to pray for every single road in every village across our benefice – in just two weeks . Yes, every single road!

We believe that when we pray, God moves . So we’re inviting individuals, families, and Life Groups to take a prayerful walk through their neighbourhoods. As you walk your street, your area, your patch – simply pray as you go . That might mean praying quietly, speaking out loud, or just having a conversation with God along the way.

We want everyone to take part so you can still take part from home if you need to – prayer isn’t limited by location.

��️ How It Works:

We’ll be using a simple app to track which roads have been covered, helping us to pray over every household, every school, every business, and every corner of our villages. Don’t worry if the app isn’t accessible to you – we’ll also provide an easy non-app option so that everyone can join i

This doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming. Walk and pray – and let God guide you .

�� Ready to join in?

Whether you want to use the app or the printed map to record your progress, please Click on the button below to sign up now – and we’ll send you everything you need to take part.

Let’s walk our villages with God – and watch what He does when we pray . ��"

Knitted Easter Eggs

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 08:58:17 GMT

Thank you!

Dear All Knitters and Friends of CaBiC,

We would like to give you all a big thank you for the knitted Easter Eggs which you generously made for the residents of our local care homes. They were once again all individual and beautiful and they were packaged up into baskets, with our CaBiC leaflets and taken to the following care homes; Astell House, Badgeworth Court, Bafford House, Bay Tree Court, Bishops Cleeve, Charlton Kings, Dalkeith Residential, Faithful House, Hampton House, Lilleybrook, Monkscroft Care Centre, Grevill House, Queens Bridge, Nazareth House, Richmond, Royal Court, Sandfield’s, St Faiths, Thirlestaine Park, Wentworth Court, Whittington House, and Windsor Street.

Please see some of the many photos which I have attached.

Here are some of the responses we have had;

Many thanks for our beautiful, knitted Easter gifts……. Isla M from Wentworth Court

Thank you for the service but I am writing particularly to thank you for the knitted eggs for the residents. Please thank the people who worked hard to make them too. The residents will be pleased with their gifts. Easter blessings to all at CABIC. Maria P from St Faiths

‘’I was greeted very warmly (on delivering the eggs) and that residents often have all the previous gifts in view in their rooms, Cross, Christmas Tree, angel etc’’.

From Howard & Mary who delivered to Annie at Faithful House

Kind regards,

Rachel & the CaBiC team

Rachel Simpson

CaBiC Administrator

Palm Sunday across the benefice

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 13:55:26 GMT

An exciting start to Holy Week 2025 in our villages

Church on the Hill 

Morning Praise - Gotherington

St Michael's - Bishops Cleeve

Sharing the Easter Story

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 11:07:27 GMT

A Joyful Lent Journey with Local Schools

Over the Lent season, we’ve had the joy and privilege of connecting with several local schools and pre-school settings to share the incredible story and hope of Easter.

It all began with Lucy and Lucy’s visit to Tythe Barn Pre-School, where they brought along Rusty the Dog—our friendly puppet helper! Using colourful eggs to represent different parts of the Easter story, they were able to engage the children in a fun, creative, and meaningful way.

Next up, Lucy Betts headed over to Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy, where she led a Year 4 lesson using “Resurrection Eggs.” This brilliant teaching tool walks children through the Easter story step by step, helping them reflect on the deeper meaning behind each moment of Holy Week.

And then, on Tuesday, we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Year 3 pupils from Bishops Cleeve into St Michael’s Church for our Experience Easter event. The children moved through six interactive stations, each one exploring a key scene from the Easter narrative:

Future Hopes – Palm Sunday
Servant King – Jesus washing the disciples’ feet
Remember Me – The Last Supper
Alone – The Garden of Gethsemane
The Cross – Jesus’ crucifixion
The Resurrection – Jesus rising again

Altogether, 120 children came through the church that day. It was a vibrant, moving experience, full of curiosity, awe, and thoughtful questions from the children.

We want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make these visits possible—whether through planning, leading, praying, or simply being present. It’s a beautiful reminder of how sharing the story of Easter can spark wonder, hope, and reflection in all ages

Lent Series - Serve

bwilliams@stmichaelsbishopscleeve.co.uk (Ben Williams) — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 18:44:37 GMT

Serving the Mission of God: Light-Bearers in a Dark World

In Ephesians 5:1–17, Paul paints a vision of what it means to live in the light of Christ—and it’s not just about personal holiness. It’s about stepping into the mission of God in the world. This passage reminds us that we serve not out of religious duty but because we have been transformed. We serve with love, with purpose, and with the light of the gospel shining through our lives.

Here are three ways this passage shapes our calling to serve in God’s mission:

1. We Serve with Divine Intention and Integrity

“…and find out what pleases the Lord… the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.”
(Ephesians 5:9–10)

God’s mission is not random—it’s intentional, purposeful, and good. When we serve others, we’re not just “being nice”; we are stepping into what pleases God. And Paul gives us a litmus test: goodness, righteousness, and truth.

This means our service should reflect God’s character. It’s not about performance or approval—it’s about becoming a living expression of God’s heart. We serve with divine intention , led by the Spirit, doing what is good , standing for what is right , and living in the truth .

Our integrity matters in mission. The way we live backs up the message we proclaim. In a culture filled with compromise, believers who serve with quiet faithfulness and Christlike character shine brightly.

2. We Serve to Expose Injustice and Promote Transparency

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
(Ephesians 5:11)

Serving in the mission of God includes confronting the darkness—not with arrogance or condemnation, but with clarity and light. When we serve others with compassion and courage, we expose injustice for what it is.

This might mean standing with the marginalized, speaking truth into broken systems, or simply choosing honesty where deception thrives. As children of light, we are called to promote transparency , justice , and hope .

Light doesn’t just push back darkness—it reveals what’s hidden. Our acts of service become prophetic acts, pointing to a better kingdom, one where grace and truth rule.

3. We Serve as One of Our Own, But Who Has Seen the Light

“…everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”
(Ephesians 5:13)

We don’t serve from a pedestal—we serve as fellow humans, broken and rescued. Paul reminds us that we were once in darkness too (v.8). That humility shapes how we serve and how we speak.

We carry both the truth of the gospel and the truth of our story —how the light found us, changed us, and is still working in us. Our service becomes authentic, relatable, and powerful because we’re not pretending to have it all together. We’re living proof that God’s light transforms.

The mission of God moves forward through ordinary people who’ve been radically changed. People who serve not as heroes, but as witnesses .

GSUS Live at Cleeve School

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 11:53:05 GMT

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Last week, a team of six volunteers from across our local churches, alongside Matt and Paul from Gloucestershire Youth For Christ, brought GSUS Live to Cleeve Secondary School. GSUS Live is an interactive learning experience designed to help secondary school students explore themes like fear, forgiveness, and rejection through the lens of Jesus's teachings.

Through engaging Bible stories, contemporary songs, and thought-provoking short films about public figures, students were invited to look at real-life issues from a Christian perspective. They were given the opportunity to not only learn about these subjects but also reflect on them by answering questions and engaging in a conversation with a character who was experiencing the challenges that these issues can bring.

Over the course of the week, we had the privilege of teaching 551 students from years 7-9, delivering 20 lessons and even joining the school's Christian Union. The impact was overwhelmingly positive, creating a buzz throughout the school.

The students' engagement was also remarkable. They asked insightful questions and offered thoughtful responses, demonstrating a genuine interest in the material. As one of our volunteers shared, "I personally was greatly blessed by my two sessions with the students and the opportunity to share with them."

Another volunteer remarked, "GSUS Live was engaging, exciting, well-presented and well delivered by both Matt and Paul, who both have a real gifting in their youth work. It made me feel young again (briefly) and reminded me of my own school days."

As the week progressed, the excitement grew. Students were eager to know if they would have the chance to participate. The feedback was clear: when the final class was asked if they hoped GSUS Live would return next year, the response was a resounding "yes!"

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who made this week possible: the dedicated volunteers, Matt and Paul from Gloucestershire Youth for Christ, and the staff and students at Cleeve Secondary School.

We pray that the seeds planted during GSUS Live will continue to grow and that the students will carry the lessons learned with them as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of life. If you would like to donate towards the work of YFC who brought this resource to Cleeve School, please visit their website at: https://www.yfcgloucestershire.co.uk/

Lent Series - Pray

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 18:41:49 GMT

Praying for Holiness, Unity, and Fearlessness: A Call to Stand Firm in Prayer

In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul encourages us to “put on the full armour of God” in order to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. He paints a vivid picture of the spiritual battle that each believer faces, but he also emphasises the importance of prayer in our fight for faith and the life we are called to live. Through prayer, we seek to grow in holiness, unity, and fearlessness—traits that are central to our walk with God and to our mission as His church.

Let’s explore how these prayers are rooted in the temple of God—where heaven and earth meet—and how, through Jesus, that temple now lives in us.

The Temple: The Place Where Heaven Meets Earth

In the Old Testament, the temple was the place where God dwelled among His people. It was a sacred space where heaven and earth intersected, a place where the divine presence was experienced on earth. The temple was not just a building; it was the symbol of God's intimate relationship with His people. It was the heart of the community, a place where offerings were made, prayers were spoken, and worship took place.

However, with the coming of Jesus, the temple took on a new meaning. Jesus Himself became the fulfilment of the temple. In John 2:19-21, when Jesus is challenged about His authority, He says, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The religious leaders were confused, thinking He meant the physical building. But John tells us, “But the temple He had spoken of was His body” (John 2:21). Jesus was the new temple, the place where heaven and earth met.

From Jesus to Us: The Spirit Dwells in Us

Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, the temple was no longer confined to a building. In Matthew 27:51, when Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, symbolising the removal of the barrier between God and humanity. Through Christ’s sacrifice, we now have direct access to God. And even more profoundly, we become the temple of God ourselves.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." The Spirit of God now dwells in us, making us living temples. Heaven and earth meet within us, and we are called to live as holy vessels in a broken world.

As we consider the passage in Ephesians 6:10-20, we see that prayer is an essential part of the spiritual armor that we are called to put on. We are not meant to face the world’s challenges alone. Through prayer, we invite God’s power into our lives and, in doing so, make space for the Holy Spirit to work in and through us.

Praying Faithfully for Holiness, Unity, and Fearlessness

Paul urges us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18). This call to pray faithfully is not just a call to ask for things; it is a call to cultivate an ongoing, intimate relationship with God. As we pray, we align ourselves with His will and purposes, and we become more like Christ.

1. Praying for Holiness

Holiness is about being set apart for God’s purposes. It’s about living a life that reflects His character and seeking to honor Him in everything we do. Prayer is a vital part of growing in holiness. As we seek God in prayer, we invite the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and reveal areas where we need to grow in purity and righteousness.

In Ephesians 6, the armor of God includes the “breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14), which protects our hearts from sin. Through prayer, we ask God to help us live with integrity, to help us resist temptation, and to live in a way that reflects the holiness of the God who dwells in us.

2. Praying for Unity

Unity is essential for the body of Christ to function as it was intended. As living temples, we are not called to live in isolation, but to be part of a community that reflects Christ’s love and grace. Ephesians 4:3 urges us to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Praying for unity is an act of humility. It is recognizing that we are all part of one body, and for that body to function properly, we must work together in harmony. Prayer is where we seek to align our hearts with God’s desire for peace and unity in the church. When we pray for unity, we ask God to help us overcome differences, to reconcile broken relationships, and to build a community that reflects His love and grace.

3. Praying for Fearlessness

As we live out our calling as temples of the Holy Spirit, we will face opposition. In Ephesians 6, Paul reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle against the forces of evil. But we are not called to live in fear. Instead, we are called to stand firm in the strength of the Lord (Ephesians 6:10) and to pray for courage in the face of adversity.

When we pray for fearlessness, we ask God to help us trust in His power and protection. We acknowledge that, though we face challenges, we do not have to face them alone. The armour of God is given to us so that we can stand firm, knowing that He is with us.

Praying Creatively, Scripturally, and Reactively

In Ephesians 6:18, Paul encourages us to pray “with all kinds of prayers and requests.” This shows that prayer is not limited to one form or style. We are invited to be creative in our approach to prayer, drawing on the many ways Scripture teaches us to communicate with God.

1. Creative Prayer

Creative prayer can take many forms. It can be silent, it can be spoken, it can be written down, or it can be sung. It can involve art, journaling, or even movement. The key is that it reflects the unique way God has wired us to communicate with Him. As we pray creatively, we invite the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us in ways that are fresh and dynamic.

2. Scriptural Prayer

Scripture is rich with prayers that can guide our own prayer lives. The Psalms, in particular, offer prayers of praise, lament, thanksgiving, and intercession that we can adopt as our own. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul encourages us to “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When we pray with Scripture, we are using God’s own words to align ourselves with His will. We pray His promises and declarations, and we allow His Word to shape our prayers.

3. Reactive Prayer

Finally, we must be open to reactive prayer—praying in the moment, when needs arise. Ephesians 6:18 reminds us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions.” This means that prayer is not just reserved for formal times of devotion but should be woven into the fabric of our daily lives. When we encounter challenges, we can react by turning to God in prayer, trusting that He will give us the wisdom, strength, and peace we need in that moment.

Conclusion

As we embrace our calling as temples of the Holy Spirit, prayer becomes the way we stand firm in holiness, unity, and fearlessness. Through prayer, we seek God’s will, ask for His guidance, and invite His power to transform us from the inside out. We pray creatively, scripturally, and reactively, knowing that prayer is a powerful weapon in the spiritual battle we face.

Let’s commit to standing firm in prayer, putting on the full armor of God, and praying faithfully for holiness, unity, and fearlessness. As we do, we reflect the presence of God in the world, becoming living temples where heaven meets earth.

Lent Series - Grow

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 18:34:39 GMT

Growing Together in Christ: Embracing Maturity and Unity

As we continue our Lent series based on Ephesians, we are focusing on the characteristics we want to embody as a church. Our vision for the next five years is not just about what we do but who we are becoming in Christ. It’s about growing together, both numerically and spiritually, as we live out God’s calling for our church family.

So far, we’ve explored two key aspects of our vision. One of the first areas we highlighted was the importance of welcoming others as part of our church’s mission. Being a welcoming church is not just about opening our doors, but about truly embracing people into the family of God. Then, we reflected on generosity—how, when we realise all that Christ has given us, we are called to give generously of our time, love, skills, and resources.

Now, we turn our focus to growth. Yes, we want to grow numerically; we want to see new faces join our community, be part of our family, and contribute to building God’s kingdom. But in Ephesians 4, Paul challenges us to think about growth in a deeper, more profound way. Growing isn’t just about numbers. It’s about spiritual maturity.

In Ephesians 4, Paul makes it clear that growing in maturity means growing in love for one another and growing in unity. Maturity in Christ is not about individual accomplishments but about how we, as a body of believers, work together to become more like Him. Each of us has a unique role to play within the church family, and we all contribute to the collective goal of growing in Christ-likeness.

I am reminded of a time when Tim and I served at a church with very few Christians when we arrived. People came mostly because of the school attached to the church, and many of them had no faith at all. But by God’s grace, through the Alpha course and the work of the Holy Spirit, some came to faith, and our church slowly became a community of believers. It was a joy, but it also meant that when we left, there were few mature Christians to minister alongside. Coming to St Michael’s has been a joy because we get to serve with many who are more mature in Christ, and I’m learning so much from their examples.

But regardless of where each of us stands on the spiritual maturity scale, Paul’s message in Ephesians is clear: we should not compare ourselves to each other. Instead, we should compare ourselves to Christ. And when we do, we realize how much further we have to go. In verse 14, Paul tells us that even the greatest servants of the Gospel—like himself—are still spiritual infants in comparison to Christ. We all have room to grow.

Let’s take a moment to think about babies. Babies are miraculous. They are fully alive, part of the family, and full of potential. But they are also helpless and need care to survive and grow. When our daughter Jemima was born, I read a book called Why Love Matters, which talked about how human babies are born less physically developed than many other mammals. Think of a newborn calf or foal that can stand and walk within hours of birth. Human babies, however, require significant psychological development before they can survive on their own.

Did you know that growth hormones needed to develop the brain are only released if babies receive enough eye contact and attention from their caregivers? This shows how deeply interconnected our physical and emotional development is, and it also teaches us something vital about spiritual growth. When we are spiritually born again, we are like babies—utterly dependent on God and others. We need care, connection, and nurturing if we are to grow in Christ.

As spiritual infants, we need to be fed with good spiritual food—the Bible, the truth of the Gospel—so that we can mature in our faith. Just as a baby will put anything in its mouth, we too must be careful about what we consume. We need the right nourishment to grow spiritually, or we will remain immature.

And just like physical babies are naturally self centred, spiritual babies can be the same. If we are always focused on ourselves—on our own wants, feelings, or hurts—we’re not growing as we should. Spiritual maturity requires us to move beyond our self-centredness, to stop asking “What’s in it for me?” and start asking “How can I serve others? How can I love and bless those around me?”

We need to take responsibility for our spiritual growth. This means prioritizing personal disciplines like prayer, Bible reading, worship, and fellowship. But we also need to remember that growing together is essential. Maturity cannot happen in isolation. We are called to grow together in unity.

Paul speaks of unity in Ephesians 4:13, saying that we “all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.” Unity is vital for spiritual maturity. We cannot grow into Christ-likeness alone. We need each other. We need to be in relationship with one another, sharing our lives, serving one another, and helping each other grow in the faith. As we engage in small groups, ministry teams, Sunday worship, and prayer meetings, we help build the body of Christ and mature together.

Maturity also grows as we understand the truth of the Gospel and build our lives on it. In John 18:37, Jesus says to Pilate, “The reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.” Our unity and maturity are grounded in our shared understanding of Christ’s truth. Without this common foundation, we risk becoming divided and immature, tossed around by different interpretations of the Gospel. We see this happening today within the Church of England, as divisions grow over different understandings of truth.

As the family of St Michael’s, let’s commit to growing together in unity by deepening our understanding of the Word of God. The Gospel is the truth that binds us together—it's the truth that reminds us that we are all sinners, lost without a Saviour, but also deeply loved by a Saviour who gave His life for us. This truth should be the foundation for all that we do as a church.

In conclusion, while this message might seem a little inward-focused, it’s essential. Jesus said that others will know we are His disciples by the way we love one another. But we can’t love each other as we should unless we grow in maturity. And we won’t grow in maturity unless we learn to love each other well.

As we move forward with our vision for the next five+ years, let’s commit to growing together as a church family—growing in maturity, in unity, and in our love for one another. One practical step to show our commitment is to sign the electoral roll.

Let’s pray together for the strength and wisdom to grow in Christ and in unity as we continue this journey.

Lent Series - Giving

bwilliams@stmichaelsbishopscleeve.co.uk (Ben Williams) — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 15:56:58 GMT

We continue to look at Ephesians through Lent 2025

As we reflect on Ephesians 2, we are reminded of the powerful transformation that occurs when we encounter the love and grace of God. Through Christ, we are made alive , seated in heavenly realms , and sent out to serve . This is the story of grace that compels us to give—generously and sacrificially—in response to the great gift we’ve received.

God Sees Us

Spring in the UK can be unpredictable, can’t it? One day, we’re enjoying sunshine and picnics in the garden, and the next, we’re greeted by snowflakes! It’s as if the weather can’t quite make up its mind, much like the way we sometimes struggle to find our place in life. This unpredictable change made me think of one of my favorite Christmas movies, The Holiday, where one character, Iris, is encouraged by an older man, Arthur, to stop thinking of herself as the "best friend" and start seeing herself as the "leading lady" in her own life.

But this scene also highlights a subtle truth: we often put ourselves at the center of everything. We become our own idols, and this self-centeredness is what Paul refers to in Ephesians 2: the “transgressions and sins” that result from failing to worship God and turning away from Him.

But the good news is that God sees us . He sees our struggles, our tendency to go our own way, and He steps in to offer restoration. Just as Iris was encouraged to embrace her true identity, God calls us to embrace our true identity in Christ.

God’s ultimate gift to us was Himself, in the person of Jesus. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we are made alive again (Ephesians 2:5). It is by grace that we are saved—not because we deserve it, but because of God's deep love and mercy for us.

God Seats Us

The transformative work of Jesus doesn’t stop at making us alive; it also elevates us. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:6, "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." This isn't just a future promise of eternal life; it’s a present reality.

Being seated with Christ means we now have unlimited access to God , not just in the future, but right now. As citizens of heaven, we partake in the heavenly life of our Lord today. It’s a profound truth that sets us apart from the world. Historian Tom Holland encourages Christians to embrace the "weirdness" of our faith because it’s what makes us different. The idea that we have access to the God of heaven, that we can live in relationship with Him and discern His will—it’s something that should make us stand out.

This relationship is foundational to everything we do. Because we are seated with Christ, we can live in holiness, call upon God in times of need, and be motivated by His grace. Our connection with God shapes our lives in profound ways, empowering us to live according to His will and purpose.

God Sends Us

But God doesn’t just stop at making us alive and seating us in heavenly places—He sends us. As we’re reconnected to our Creator through Christ, we are recommissioned to continue the work He started in the world. From the beginning, humanity was given a purpose: to "rule over" and steward the earth (Genesis 1:26). Through Christ, our image as bearers of God’s likeness is restored, and we are invited to join in His mission to reconcile the world.

In Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This is the work we are called to: to love, serve, and give in response to all that God has given us.

Giving is a central part of this. It’s not just about our finances (although that is important), but also about giving our time, our talents, our hospitality, and our service. We give because we have first received, and our giving flows from the deep gratitude we feel for all that God has done for us.

As it says in 1 John 4:10, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” Just as God gave first, we give in response to His great love. Our generosity—whether in money, time, or service—is a reflection of the generosity we’ve received from God.

A Call to Action

Today, as we reflect on the incredible grace of God, let us remember that we are not only made alive in Christ but also seated with Him in heavenly realms and sent out to continue His work. We give because we’ve been given so much.

If you feel moved to give, there are opportunities to do so through our Parish Giving Scheme . Whether you choose to give regularly or make a one-off donation, your generosity helps support the work of our church and allows us to continue sharing God’s love with our community.

Click here to give through the Parish Giving Scheme

As we give, we are responding to God's grace, showing our love for Him and for others. May we continue to give generously and sacrificially, knowing that it is in giving that we reflect the heart of the One who gave everything for us

Church Office Coffee Morning

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 11:48:05 GMT

Thank you!

THANK YOU to all who came to our Office Coffee morning today, it was lovely to see so many of you and to share conversation, tea, coffee and cake. The office was definitely 'buzzing' this morning. We were overwhelmed by how many of you came.

As well as having a lovely morning with so many of you, we raised £166.00 for Grassroots Rwanda. Thank you to Pete Muir for being here to talk about the work him and others do for Grassroots Rwanda, it was good to see how the money is used to help others.

Thank you to all who helped, either by making baked goodies, or helping on the day - you are very much appreciated.

Save the date of 18th June 2025 for our next coffee morning.

For more information about Grassroots Rwanda please click below.

Lent Series - Welcome

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:27:39 GMT

The value of Welcome

Why do we care about welcome? Is it simply a matter of good manners, a box to tick on our spiritual checklist? Or is there something far more profound, something deeply rooted in the very fabric of our faith? Let’s explore this question, referencing Ephesians 3 and a mirror to help us see more clearly.

Ephesians 3: 6-19

“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for the Ephesians

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. ”

Paul's writings, with their talk of mysteries, revelations, and heavenly realms, can sometimes feel daunting. It's easy to get lost in the abstract concepts of grace and wisdom. But by grounding ourselves in the foundational story of creation, we can begin to unravel the threads of Paul's message and understand its relevance to our lives, and particularly, to how we welcome others.

Think back to Genesis. While the creation narratives share similarities with other ancient stories, the underlying theology is uniquely profound. God created a world He declared "good," and humanity, uniquely, in His image. This wasn't merely a physical resemblance, but a reflection of God's very nature – our identity, who we are, where we find our true home and how we are called to live and be.

This is where the mirror first comes in. As we look at ourselves, we must remember that the "mystery" Paul speaks of is rooted in this creation. It's the truth that we are made in God's image, called to reflect His goodness. And this truth is intrinsically linked to welcome.

The mystery, once hidden, now revealed, is God's original plan: that all people, regardless of background or origin, should belong. Not just jews, but gentiles alike. To know that they are heirs, a family, through Christ.

Sadly, our world, then and now, often builds walls, fostering division and isolation. We see this play out in heartbreaking ways daily. But Ephesians calls us to something radically different. Within Christ's Church, we are called to mirror the very heart of God, to reflect His image of goodness, inclusion, and welcome.

But when we look in the mirror, we often struggle to see God's reflection. We are burdened by our mistakes, our weaknesses, and the tribalism that permeates our society. How can we, flawed as we are, possibly reflect God's image?

Paul himself wrestled with this. He would have once struggled to look at himself in the mirror. But he, a former persecutor of the Church, found redemption and purpose through Christ's love and forgiveness – through grace. This grace transformed him, empowering him to share the very gospel he once sought to destroy.

Grace isn't just a theological term; it's a transformative power that changes how we see ourselves and, consequently, how we see others. Through grace, we recognise God's mark on our lives, breaking down the walls that divide us and allowing us to see Christ's image in everyone we encounter.

Becoming a church that welcomes means embracing our role as servants of God, both through the grace we receive and the grace we extend. And at the heart of this service lies love.

Paul prays that we would be "rooted and established in love." He understood that true welcome stems from love. Jesus' command to "love your neighbor as yourself" isn't about quantifying love, but about channelling the same divine love we've received. It's about drawing from the source of love that created the world, that offers grace and acceptance – God Himself.

Paul paints a picture of the church as a family, a community built on love and welcome. This isn't merely about individuals caring for each other, but about forging a collective identity rooted in Christ's love.

However, here the mirror analogy ultimately falls short. God's love isn't just something to be reflected; it's meant to dwell within us, to transform us from the inside out. This is why Paul's prayer for the Ephesians, and for us, is so powerful.

As The Message translation puts it: "My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.”

Welcome isn't just about opening our doors; it's about opening our hearts, allowing Christ to dwell within us, and extending His love to everyone we meet. It's about living out the profound truth that we are all created in God's image, and that we are all invited to belong.

Lucy Barbour

Family Messy Church Pancake Party

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:53:22 GMT

A fun-filled celebration!

On Tuesday, 4th March , we hosted a fantastic Messy Church Family Pancake Party filled with fun, creativity, and, of course, delicious pancakes!

Crafts, Creativity, and Lent Reflections

As families arrived, we started with refreshments before diving into some exciting Lent-themed crafts , including:

Playdough Cactuses – Representing Jesus in the desert

Charcoal Crosses – Reflecting on Ash Wednesday

And many more engaging activities!

After craft time, we gathered for a story and reflection on Lent, considering how Jesus showed His love for us during this important season.

Pancakes and a Friendly Competition

Then came the moment everyone was waiting for— pancakes! They were thoroughly enjoyed by all, disappearing in record time!

To wrap up the event, we decorated paper pancakes before finishing with a competitive Pancake Race featuring Lucy, Lucy, Tim, and Ben. The champion? Lucy Barbour! (And of course, absolutely no one cheated… ��)

A Huge Thank You!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped, prayed for, and attended the event. We were blessed to have around 50 children and adults join us for this wonderful celebration.

Please keep an eye out on our socials and website for our Easter activities —we hope to see you there!

Why Does Grieving Hurt So Much?

admin@stmichaelsbishopscleeve.co.uk (Church Admin) — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 10:16:42 GMT

Review of Pete Johnston's Book by Tracy Ralph

This is a book for everyone’s personal library, as everyone will experience grief at some point in their lives. A book to dip into when grief is so overwhelming, and you need a helping hand.

This is a book I wish I had read before ever experiencing grief. Pete has taken us on his personal journey and described the overwhelming devastation, fear, anxiety and exhaustion that grief brings and explains how that is all “normal” which at the time it feels anything but.

He goes on to give practical tools to navigate all types of grief and explains how to cope in those early days. The need for self-care and how to extend that self-care throughout life as grief lives alongside us.

Every chapter is supportive and practical allowing time to nourish, rest and heal. Self-care runs through the pages of this book.

“Grief in a Digital Age” really struck me and is a chapter I wish I had knowledge of as how do you cope with “memories” appearing on social media when you least expect them and when you have not had the courage to even look at a photograph of your loved one? Pete also talks about the positive aspects of social media during grief and the support it can offer.

He goes on to suggest ways to support other types grieving, the loss of a relationship, friendship, a job and the depth of devastation following miscarriage and stillbirth. Which until you experience these situations you may not even realise you are experiencing grief.

It is the gentle practical help in this book that makes it stand out from other books written on grief, Pete has walked this journey, and he shares that personal experience from the devastation of loss to the step-by-step road to facing a new world and how to find support when grief overtakes you.

Pete accurately describes in the conclusion of this book the journey and how living with grief is possible.

“With time, sharp pain lessens to an occasional ache for what’s gone. Space opens slowly for renewed purpose and possibility. But our lost loved ones leave lasting imprints-their influence can be found in our smallest gestures and deepest values. We carry remnants of those who shaped us. Cherish these traces while making space for new growth”

Why does Grieving Hurt So Much? Is a gentle navigation through grief with no right or wrong, no time limits just practical, emotional and spiritual support at the most difficult time in life.

Mrs T.Ralph BA(Hons) PGCE

News from North Cotswold Food Bank

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 15:31:33 GMT

Tea trolley team bring a cup of cheer to Food Bank

There’s nothing like a hot cuppa to make a welcome warm. And nowhere is that truer than at North Cotswold Food Bank where a wonderful team from St Michael’s have set up a new tea trolley service.

The Food Bank, a mission partner with St Michael’s Church, opens its doors at St Michael’s Centre in Bishop’s Cleeve every Friday where its volunteers distribute tonnes of groceries to people in need.

“The team vicar Ben Williams asked if there was anything the Church could do to support us,” said Bishop’s Cleeve Food Bank Lead Gill Donovan. “Someone suggested offering tea and coffee and, as if by magic, we had three volunteers who said they’d help out and set up their own rota.

“The tea trolley has totally transformed the way everything feels. Our clients get a warm welcome and a free hot drink the minute they come through the door.

“People who use the Food Bank often have a lot to deal with and when they come to see us – especially for the first time – they can feel unsure, embarrassed or upset. So that first point of contact and the welcome we offer is crucially important.

“We are so grateful to the tea trolley team for helping to make the whole process feel more relaxed and friendly.”

The tea team are Jane Powell and Julia Dowle from St Michael’s and Kathy Howard from Gotherington.

“We are very glad to help and everyone has been very appreciative,” said Kathy. “It just makes people feel wanted and makes it easier for everyone to talk to each other and to us.“

Based at Guiting Power, the North Cotswold Food Bank was set up in 2011 and operates in Chipping Campden, Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh and Winchcombe, as well as Bishop’s Cleeve.

It distributes more than 1,700 food parcels per year which provide food for more than 4,000 people in distress and is part of the Trussell Trust network which provides more than 3 million food parcels per year across the UK.

For more info: https://northcotswold.foodbank.org.uk

Picture: The North Cotswold Food Bank team with Jane Powell who helps run the new tea trolley service

Youth Alpha has begun

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 14:23:45 GMT

Last Friday marked the exciting start of Youth Alpha, launching our new youth ministry across the benefice!

With plenty of chocolates, cakes, and hot chocolate (a bit of a theme there! ��☕), we kicked off the Youth Alpha series, creating a space for young people to explore faith, ask big questions, and enjoy time together.

Starting the Conversation

Our first session, Welcome to the Conversation, encouraged discussion around God, faith, and life’s big questions.

We ended with a thought-provoking question:

�� "If God exists, what would you ask?"

It was amazing to see 15 young people, aged 11-16, from across the benefice engage in the session with curiosity and openness.

Join Us on the Journey!

Youth Alpha is open to anyone aged 11-16, and sessions run fortnightly at The Old Chapel, Gotherington, from 7:00–8:30 PM.

Our next session is on Friday, 14th February, where we’ll explore:

✨ "Jesus is…?"

Upcoming Dates

�� 14/2
�� 28/2
�� 14/3
�� 28/3
�� 6/4 – Sunday Session (10 AM – 2 PM)
�� 11/4
�� 2/5
�� 16/5

Please continue to pray for our young people and leaders as we journey together through this course. Your support and prayers mean so much!

If you know someone who might be interested, invite them along—everyone is welcome! ��

#YouthAlpha #Faith #BigQuestions #YouthMinistry #JoinTheJourney

Local Year 3 schoolchildren 'Experience Christmas'

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 14:37:58 GMT

A journey through the Nativity

This week, we had the joy of welcoming Year 3 children from Woodmancote Primary , Grangefield Primary , and Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy to our Experience Christmas event. It was a special time as the children journeyed through the Nativity story, reflecting on its significance and the true meaning of Christmas.

A journey through the Nativity

During the event, the children explored six key parts of the Christmas story:

Preparing for Christmas
We began by thinking about Advent as a time of preparation and anticipation for something wonderful—setting the stage for the story to unfold.

The announcement
The angel's visit to Mary was a moment of awe and wonder. The children reflected on how Mary might have felt and the incredible news she received.

The journey
Walking alongside Mary and Joseph, the children imagined the challenges they faced on their way to Bethlehem, building an understanding of their faith and perseverance.

The shepherds
In the fields, the shepherds received the joyous news from the angels, and the children considered what it might have been like to hear that heavenly message.

The Wise Men
Following the star, the wise men journeyed to honor the newborn King. This part of the story highlighted the universal reach of Jesus' birth.

The birth of Jesus
The journey culminated with the birth of Jesus in a humble stable. The children thought about what gifts they would give Jesus and how these gifts might reflect their love and gratitude.

A heartfelt thank you

We’re incredibly grateful to all the volunteers and helpers who made this week’s sessions a success. Your time and dedication ensured the children had a meaningful and memorable experience.

Looking ahead

We’re excited for another Experience Christmas session at Gotherington Primary School on Wednesday, 11th December . Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to share the real meaning of Christmas with the children and their schools.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and may this Advent season fill your hearts with peace, hope, and joy.

Blessings, Lucy Betts

Gear up for Christmas

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 08:00:00 GMT

We will soon be gearing up for Christmas and Natalie Garrett, our Associate Minister, has got just the thing to get you in the mood.

This Christmas, join Natalie Garrett – in person or online – through some festive performances and reflections.

Natalie worked as a professional actor in classical theatre for many years before being ordained in the Church of England. In 2008, she co-wrote Creation Theatre Company’s The Oxford Passion , playing the role of Mary Magdalene. In addition to being our Associate Minister here at St Michael’s, she narrates the Seen & Unseen Aloud podcast and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought .

This Christmas, Natalie is performing a special one-woman play just for us:

The Innkeeper’s Wife on 30th November in St Michael’s Church, Bishop's Cleeve, starting at 7.30pm.

Experience an overfamiliar story, in a new way, with the Innkeeper’s Wife (who bears a passing resemblance to Sybil Fawlty). Come and meet the characters involved in an extraordinary night.

Buy your ticket for only £5 from bit.ly/InnkeepersWife

Natalie Garrett in rehearsal as The Innkeeper's Wife

Listen to a Christmas reflection every day this Advent

When Natalie is not ministering, writing and performing, she is the editor of the topical podcast Seen & Unseen Aloud. Every day in December, the podcast will be dropping some of their best seasonal content, from how to survive Christmas, reviews of the best Christmas movies to the origin story of Santa Claus.

For when you’ve got your hands full of mince pies and baubles, but you still want to hear some thoughtful content, subscribe to Seen & Unseen Aloud for the Christmas Countdown.

You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon, simply click the links and away in a manger you go!

Find out more at: seenandunseen.com/podcast

For Advent and Christmas services across the Benefice of Bishop's Cleeve click here >> Christmas in Cleeve Benefice

Families enjoy half-term fun across Cleeve Benefice

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 16:01:13 GMT

Opening up conversations about how God's peace can guide us through challenging times

During October half term, families across the Cleeve Benefice were offered a free holiday club and a different kind of ‘treat’ on Halloween night – one that brought joy rather than fear. Lucy Betts, Children and Families Minister, and Lucy Barbour, Team Curate, share some highlights from the week:

Treasure Seekers holiday club at St Michaels

Lucy Betts says, “During this half term I was really keen to run a holiday club session that had the theme of being precious to God. So we put together some engaging games, crafts, singing and a bit of silliness, which hopefully created a memorable experience for all the children involved.

The Bible story of The Lost Coin (in Luke, chapter 15, verses 8-10) was a wonderful way to illustrate the message of being precious. With around 25 children attending, it was a lively and joyful atmosphere. The goody bags at the end included a small book about the Good News, which sent everyone home with a smile. It was a great way to celebrate and reinforce the theme of being valued and loved by God.

“Also, in the evening, we had the chance to chat with some parents and children as they walked past the church building, offering them refreshments and goody bags.

“I wanted to say a big thank you to all the leaders who made this activity possible – your hard work and dedication truly make a difference!”

Sharing the Good News in Gotherington

The Revd Lucy Barbour says, “On 31 ^st October, Halloween night, we took out a message of hope and peace to the streets of Gotherington! Our team had fun engaging with the local community who were very welcoming of us.

“We set up interactive games that tackled common fears, reminding the children about God's power to comfort and protect. We also handed out 80 goodie bags filled with treats, an activity book and Bible verses.

“The response from the community was overwhelmingly positive. Grown ups were grateful for the hot drinks and enjoyed chatting with our team. Children of all ages, even the teenagers, were excited to participate in the games and activities. Most children confidently proclaimed that they weren't afraid of anything, but when we started discussing real-life fears like tests and exams, it opened up great conversations about God's peace and how it can guide us through challenging times.

“We're so thankful for the opportunity to connect with the Gotherington community and share the love of Christ on our doorstep.

“Thank you to all those who helped including our amazing Church Watch Team helping children on our Duck Trail.”

New appeals for GrassRoots Rwanda

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 20:29:56 GMT

Pete Muir shares two new areas of fundraising focus in the Shyogwe Diocese

On Sunday 27 October, Pete Muir, Trustee at charity GrassRoots Rwanda – a St Michael's Mission Partner – shared an update on the situation in the Shyogwe Diocese and two new areas of need and focus.

Please do watch Pete's short talk here >> Grassroots Rwanda update talk on 27th Oct 2024 - YouTube

Pete shares an update below, with links to project fundraising pages.

Building work SOS

I t was a good and interesting visit on my recent trip to the Diocese although I’m sure these visits are getting more arduous - perhaps I’m just getting older! As with many of the visits, it is a bittersweet experience. You see lots of beautiful vistas and talk to lots of beautiful people. You go to church services that last for hours. But the flip side of course is always there. The grinding poverty; the very few opportunities for people to better themselves and some are living in unacceptably poor accommodation.

We visited one archdeacon who was living in a house built by the original missionaries in the 1920s, it is structurally good but needs a complete makeover estimated at around £6,000. I’ve opened a JustGiving page to collect £2,500 to cover just the bathroom (which interestingly has a bath in it - obviously, with such a shortage of water this needs to be converted to a shower) and the kitchen, which has one old wood-burning stove and no means to prepare food except on the ground. The room was constantly full of smoke.

This is the link for donations to this work, any donation most gratefully received and all used towards this project: https://www.justgiving.com/page/peter-muir-1729605397804

Training for young women

We also met a group of girls who had been subjected to sexual violence. We have previously given them training and a sewing machine so they can make their own clothes, and also make clothes to sell, giving them independence from their abusers. But the Diocese is concerned that without a formal qualification from a training centre they may not be able to sell their clothes to the public. It is a three-month residential course which would cost £250 for each of the girls, so I’ve set up a second JustGiving page for these girls where I hope to raise £2,500 to give all 10 of them a qualification to ensure that they can continue to sell goods and thereby keep themselves safe.

This is the link for donations to this work, any donation most gratefully received and all used towards this project:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/peter-muir-1729846773707

For more information about GrassRoots Rwanda, visit their website: GrassRoots Rwanda

Vision 2030 update

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:01:31 GMT

Revd Tim Garrett updates us on the Vision 2030 initiative

Dear Friends,

Last Sunday we began to look at Vision 2030 - what we believe God is calling us to be - and to do - for the next season in the life of our Benefice.

If you were away - you can see one of the presentations on YouTube here: Church Vision day, Revd Tim Garrett - 13th Oct 2024 - YouTube

And you can see the details on the PowerPoint below.

This Sunday is our Gift Day – so we are thinking about our giving - and how this relates to the Vision.

We have prepared an A5 flier which gives everyone the key financial information - and invites us all to respond. You can download it at the button below - and then please do pray about your response! There will be an opportunity to do this in the services on Sunday.

Love to you all,

Tim

Church Away Day to Viney Hill

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 13:52:57 GMT

People from across the Benefice enjoy time together at Church Away Day

Last Saturday, our church community gathered at Viney Hill Christian Adventure Centre in Lydney for a memorable day of fellowship, worship and fun. The theme of the day, 'Welcome', was inspired by the biblical passage Romans 15:7, which encourages us to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us. Lucy Betts, Children and Families Minister, shares a summary of the day.

'The day began with a time of reflection, setting the tone for a spiritually enriching experience. Participants then had the opportunity to choose from a variety of activities, including den building, a church service on the hill, and a more reflective session. After a delicious lunch, there was something for everyone to enjoy. From board games and crafts to whittling sticks, there was no shortage of activities to keep everyone entertained.

The afternoon culminated in a meaningful Communion service, followed by a time for feedback and sharing. This provided an opportunity for participants to reflect on their experiences and express their gratitude.

The day concluded with a delightful campfire, complete with smores and singing. This provided a cozy and enjoyable way to end a wonderful day together.

The Church Family Day at Viney Hill was a resounding success. Thanks to the efforts of the organising team and the enthusiastic participation of our church community, it was a day filled with joy, fellowship and spiritual growth. We look forward to many more such events in the future.'

Ride+Stride 2024

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 17:39:54 GMT

Sun shines across the Benefice for the GCHT's annual fundraising walk

On Saturday, 14 September, a group of walkers from our church community embarked on an adventure that was both spiritually uplifting and physically challenging. Joining thousands across the country in the annual Ride+Stride event organised by the National Churches Trust, the group's journey had a unique twist – and was nicknamed the Camino de St Michaels. Zoe Homes shares a writeup from the day:

'Our mission was simple: to walk a 13-mile loop through our Benefice, visiting every place of worship along the way. The strenuous route promised us 1,500 feet of ascent, and an opportunity to connect with nature, our community and our faith.

The day began at St Michael and All Angels in Bishop’s Cleeve. Known for its beautiful stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Bible and the oldest in-use oak staircase in Britain, this was our start and finish point – our aim being to arrive back before the team serving refreshments went home for the day.

With backpacks slung over our shoulders, we set off through the village, picking up a picturesque footpath through fields to Southam. We took a few minutes to visit the Church of the Ascension, before tackling the main ascent for the day. We climbed up to Cleeve Hill via Queen’s Wood, surprised but very happy at how little mud there was in this notoriously squelchy bit of countryside.

With the hardest uphill section done, we picked up the Cotswold Way to cross the Common. While there isn’t an active church in Cleeve Hill anymore, it’s a beloved spot for outdoor worship and reflection, and is the home to our regular Church on the Hill activity.

After a quick pit stop at the Golf Club, our pilgrimage took us over Nottingham Hill and down into Gotherington (for the first time). We walked up and around Crane Hill to reach Oxenton. We had a peek inside St John the Baptist Church, which dates back to the 12th century and features a unique Norman doorway – and a family of bats! Just a little further along the lane, we stopped at Oxenton Village Hall, where hospitality in the form of tea and homemade cake was incredibly welcome.

The last couple of miles of our route involved walking across farmland to Woolstone to visit the Church of St Martin de Tours, famous for its medieval wall paintings and historic architecture. Then there was more farmland to get us to Gotherington, where we touched the front door of The Old Chapel, the final place of worship on our tour, before walking over fields to bring us full circle in Bishop’s Cleeve.

Nineteen people (and one enthusiastic dog) participated in this walk of faith and fitness. Some joined at the start and left us part-way through, while others joined in along the way. Seven steadfast walkers completed the full circuit.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather – bright sunshine with just enough warmth balanced by a gentle cool breeze made it perfect for walking. And the camaraderie among the group was heartwarming. We shared stories, laughed, and enjoyed each other’s company, making the journey as memorable as the challenge.

A huge thank you to all those who have supported our efforts by sponsoring us so far. Funds raised from this sponsored walk are being split equally between the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust and our own local work in Bishop's Cleeve and the surrounding villages. So far we have raised over £1,000, which is brilliant. Our JustGiving page will be open for a little while longer yet, so please do consider a donation if you can >> justgiving.com/page/rideandstridestmichaels

And I guess the question is… what should we do for Ride+Stride in 2025?! Ideas welcome.'

WANTED! Holiday Club brings Wild West to Bishop's Cleeve

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 19:04:13 GMT

St Michael’s welcome children to new Summer Holiday Club

Bishop’s Cleeve turned Western last week, as leaders and children alike got their boots on, grabbed their hats and saddled up for WANTED, St Michael’s Holiday Club 2024.

For three days during the week of 19th August, the church building was transformed into a cowboy and girl haven where each day the children were immersed in a Western world full of messy games, exciting Bible stories, themed crafts and hearty sing-a-longs, which all aimed to share the Good News that they are all WANTED by God.

Indeed, if catchiness were a crime then there would be trouble, as one mother can testify that their children “are still singing the songs” learned during the week.

While another parent shared their appreciation saying, “Thank you so much for looking after them this week, they’ve both just absolutely loved it and had such a great time.”

Jake, age 10, said, "It was really fun, especially the quizzes where they got a pie in the face!"

The day consisted of group activities and crafts, and song and quiz time together. Every child was offered a free packed lunch to enjoy in the break.

Lucy Betts, Chief Cowgirl and Children and Families Minister for the benefice, reflects on the week: “We have loved running Holiday Club. Not only having the chance to get to know the children and enjoy time together, but for me, it was great to work with people of all ages, leading and using our different gifts to serve God together.”

So now, while the dust has settled and the horses have been stabled, the message of WANTED lives on in the hearts of those who came and heard of a God who WANTED us so much that he sent his Son into the world to save us.

Bring on next year! YEE HAH.

Nat adds voice to BBC's Pause for Thought

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 13:33:59 GMT

The Revd Nat Garrett welcomed onto the airwaves

If you have ever tuned into BBC Radio you may have come across the segment 'Pause for Thought'.

It is an important slot in the broadcasting schedule which encourages audiences to reflect on a theme. The slots are often facilitated by a religious minister whose beliefs can both connect and challenge listeners.

Our very own Associate Minister, Revd Natalie Garrett, has been welcomed onto the airwaves and some of her most recent contributions can still be heard online or on the BBC sounds app.

Here are a few to start with:

Natalie Garrett: "Suffering isn’t the end of the story" >> bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0jjnkr2

Natalie Garrett: "The greatest triumph of love in action" >> bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0jhbndy

Natalie Garrett: "Like plants, friendships need care, time, attention." >> bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0jftrhs

Church family BBQ 2024

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 09:19:09 GMT

An afternoon of sunshine in the Rectory garden

The afternoon of 28th July saw around 150 members of St Michael's and the Benefice community get together in the Rectory garden to enjoy a BBQ in the sunshine.

The catering team put on a fantastic spread of burgers, salads and puds, and there was plenty for everyone to share. The BBQ is an annual event hosted by the Revds Tim and Nat Garrett in the Rectory garden, to enable the whole Benefice to socialise and get to know one another better. All ages were welcomed, with children offered face painting and a bouncy castle while the grown-ups relaxed among good friends and family.

Visitors commented:

'Lovely catch up with so many people – thank you to one and all and of course to Tim and Nat for a perfect venue'.

'A lovely afternoon, thank you to everyone who made it possible.'

'It was a great afternoon! Thank you Tim and Nat for hosting and Fee for organising all the catering! We were definitely blessed with such lovely weather!'

St Michael's celebrates Lucy Barbour's ordination

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 20:22:08 GMT

Lucy was ordained on 29 June at Gloucester Cathedral

It was a weekend of celebration across the benefice as Lucy Barbour, our current curate, was priested in Gloucester Cathedral last Saturday (29 June 2024).

Lucy has been a valuable minister across our churches for many years, pioneering new ventures such as Church on the Hill and Cafe Church alongside diligently encouraging existing and new team members to grow their leadership skills.

However, in anticipation of the significance of the moment her ordination to the priesthood would be, Lucy enjoyed a retreat with her fellow ordinand cohort where she was able to prayerfully prepare for taking the next steps into all that God has called her to be. Then, in the glorious setting of Gloucester Cathedral, Lucy was priested in a service led by the Bishop of Tewksbury, the Rt Revd Robert Springett.

Lucy observes that “the journey to priesthood has been both long and quick in different ways. Last week, I was able to spend some quality time reflecting on how God has been with me on that journey. Most significant has been the people. So, to be surrounded and prayed for by people who have journeyed with me and then to celebrate Communion with the church that I have come to love so much was such a joy and a gift.”

This was a wonderful moment on Lucy’s journey and we look forward to sharing many more with her in the years to come.

The Revd Ben Williams adds, "Lucy’s journey is an inspiration for us all. We are all invited into a life-long journey of faith and adventure with God and while our vocational expressional may look different to hers, we hope our benefice of churches is a place where you can explore how God is calling you to love and serve him in our cultural moment."

You can read more about the ordinations, watch the livestream recording and see a collection of images from the weekend on the Diocese of Gloucester website:

A weekend of celebration with 19 ordinations in Gloucester Cathedral – Diocese of Gloucester (anglican.org)

Gotherington gathers for G-Fest

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 21:34:12 GMT

Church and community come together for the festivities

Gotherington village is blessed with a passionate group of volunteers determined to unite their fellow residents in celebration.

Over the last few years, nationally recognised events have given the Gotherington Events Team (GET) the perfect opportunity to gather the village together, moments like the late Queen's Jubilee and current King Charles III's Coronation for example. However, with no focal event planned for 2024, GET decided to relaunch its local fete and G-Fest.

Between 2-5pm, a variety of stalls were available for perusal, with many donating their profits to local charities such as the Air Ambulance or cancer support centres, while other community interest groups fundraised to maintain their vibrant presence in the village. The Church was there too, and thanks to Lucy Betts and the Revd Lucy Barbour, could offer face painting and games, all while advertising the new Gotherington Toddlers: Praise & Play group, which we have taken over following its closure and is re-opening on Tuesday mornings in Gotherington Village Hall from July 2024.

With all this going on and more, including a young persons' talent show, visits from the emergency services, a dog contest, free tennis experiences, bouncy castles, and of course cake, it mattered not that the weather was so changeable.

The Revd Ben, Team Vicar for the benefice, was also invited to play an exciting role in proceedings.

He recalls, “Within my first week of being in the village I was approached to MC the event, and it was an opportunity too good to pass up. What a wonderful way to get to know my fellow residents, and show them the Church is still very much part of our community, excited to participate and help when we can – I was so grateful for the opportunity.”

From 5pm, the volume was turned up, as local bands and professional guest musicians took to the stage to thrill the local audience with original songs and classic sing a long anthems.

A worthwhile day for the whole community. It succeeded in fundraising for improvements to village amenities, raised hundreds of pounds for local charities and facilitated the collaboration of local groups, including the Church, for the benefit of all attendees. This community was once again given a chance to celebrate together ... and celebrate they did!

>> Take a look at the Gotherington Village website to find out more about what's on offer and Church services in and around the area: Gotherington Village Website

Ben Williams welcomed as Team Vicar

Fri, 10 May 2024 15:40:27 GMT

The Revd Ben Williams was licensed by Bishop Robert in a special service at St Michael's

The sun was still shining at 7.30pm for the licensing service of our new Team Vicar, the Revd Ben Williams. The Bishop of Tewkesbury, Bishop Robert, came to St Michael's to lead this special service and people from across the worshipping community came to welcome Ben and his family.

Ben is 33 and married to Emily, who was born in Gloucester but both were raised in Leicestershire. They have two young sons, Judah and Jesse.

Below, Ben shares more about his journey to joining us here in our benefice.

Where did faith begin for you, and how did you come to be ordained?
"Faith has always been a part of my life. My parents are Christians and made church a weekly fixture in our diaries. I loved the community and service aspects of church life, and in many ways these things kept me involved for many years. However, at university when I became untethered from those activities, I found myself walking away from an active faith. It wasn't until one of my best friends visited me that he said 'something was different or missing' – it was my relationship with Jesus. I knew he was right and so from that point on I made that relationship a priority. Jesus is the source of great joy and transformation in my life.

"The journey to ordination was an interesting time. After studying Theology part-time, I realised I loved the Bible and how it applies to modern life, so I was keen to continue learning and sought a way to continue study. I also witnessed the variety of things my vicar got to do in day-to-day life and was intrigued how I might do likewise. So, through a process of discernment, with God speaking through prayer and people, I began studying at St Mellitus College in London, in 2019. I was ordained a deacon in 2022 and priested the following year.

What was it about this Benefice that made you apply for the role of Team Vicar?

"After agreeing with Emily that I wouldn't look for work until January 2024, I found myself sitting alone in my lounge in December 2023 when a Gloucester Diocese email pinged into my inbox. As a swiped to delete, the urge to look at the roles available got the better of me, and I clicked on the middle listing of three, which was this Benefice. I read the person specification and instantly resonated, and the more I read, the more I felt I could be part of the family here and contribute. So, after some conversations and a visit, we applied. I will say that on the final page of the parish profile there was this phrase: 'We are not a perfect benefice'. That won me over, because I'm also not a 'perfect priest' but with a whole heap of grace for one another, I hope this can be the start of something wonderful.

"I'm looking forward to supporting what is already going on in the benefice and the people who are working so diligently to support the life and work of our churches. Plus, thinking innovatively and collaboratively about our vision for 2030. I'm looking forward to getting to know as many people as possible and have lots of positive interactions with those inside the church and in our communities. I am excited to worship with you all."

Is there an area(s) of ministry you have a particular heart for?

"I resonate with the following St Vincent's quote: "Go to the poor, there you will find God". In our communities there will be people struggling, not only with physical poverty but also depths of loneliness, health issues, work crisis and anything else we could possibly imagine. I am keen to be a minister who, as the ordination to the deaconate reads: 'work with their fellow members in searching out the poor and weak, the sick and lonely and those who are oppressed and powerless, reaching into the forgotten corners of the world, that the love of God may be made visible'.

"I also love what it says in the Priest service: 'Tell the story of God’s love' and through all we do together, I hope that remains our focus, because the story of Jesus in our world is a powerful one and still much needed."

What do you do to unwind when you're not being a vicar?
"When I'm not working, I enjoy running and am trying out gym membership again. I play with the kids and we love to visit the theatre when we do get a date night."

What's your favourite church bake treat?
"I love anything Biscoff!"

If you see Ben or Emily around, please do say hello, and continue to hold them in your prayers as they settle in to their new life here.

Christingles and Christmas trees

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 14:14:30 GMT

Families flock to St Michael's during Advent

Families and friends came together to fill the church with song, light and sparkle at the annual Christmas Tree Decorating event and Christingle.

The decorating event on 6 December saw children immerse themselves in the message of Jesus through craft – nativity sticker scenes, light jars, gem stars and angels. All superbly organised and plenty for nearly 100 children (plus parents, grandparents and carers).

This was closely followed by the Christingle service on 9 December, which saw the church bustling with families as together Tim and Lucy shared the good news of Jesus coming to Earth to be the light of the world.

The next family Christmas service is the Nativity on Christmas Eve... where children can come dressed up as a nativity character and learn more about the real meaning of Christmas. Showings are 2.30pm and 4pm.

Church on the Hill contemplative photography

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 19:51:49 GMT

Images captured from Cleeve Hill gathering

We had a wonderful, blustery time up on Cleeve Hill on Sunday 19 November, in our first contemplative photography session as Church on the Hill.

We spent time noticing, photographing and reflecting. We will now continue to reflect on the images we have taken to see if they speak to us about life and faith.

We will also be bringing some of our images and reflections into the 11.15am service at St Michael's next month on 17 December, do look out for more details!

Here is a selection of the photos taken on the morning for you to enjoy.

The next Church on the Hill is a New Year's Eve walk on 31 December, keep an eye on our website for details .

We won a National Churches Trust Award!

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 17:55:52 GMT

St Michael's wins Excellence in Church Maintenance Award

St Michael's Church has won an award in The National Church Awards!

The National Churches Trust gives awards for excellence in various categories. We entered St Michael's for Excellence in Church Maintenance . There is a one prize each for Wales, Scotland, N. Ireland and England. We won the prize for England, for which there were 39 entries, and £2,500 prize money for each award!

The Revd Tim Garrett and Churchwarden Ann Jessop received the award at a special presentation on 6 November 2023, at the Mercers Hall, compered by broadcaster the Revd Canon Ann Easter and comedian Hugh Dennis.

Here Ann Jessop shares a special message:

'If you are or have been involved in the dusting, polishing, laundering, gardening, catering, working parties, restoration, churchwatching, adjusting the clock, cleaning the tower, re-ordering the church, introducing new technology, this award is about you and it recognises the value of all you do.

'If you are a previous or present member of the churchwardens' team, this is for you.

'If you have ever donated or raised funds for St Michael's, you made this possible. I have not named names here, but you know who you are.

'The Churchwarden team is guided by our surveyor and by our Diocesan Advisory Committee Secretary, who both keep us on track to make sure our Grade 1 Listed Building is maintained to the highest possible standards. Mistakes can be made through ignorance. There is always something new to learn. The fabric of this place is precious, unique and beautiful.

'This is not just an ancient building, but a place of worship for the last 800 years. We aim to hand it down to the next generation in good order, in all its glory. Every year we are maintaining and repairing the roof, the stonework, the drainage system, the heating system, the woodwork, the windows, the safety equipment, the organ, the bells, the clock, mostly to a regular schedule but occasionally as a matter of urgency.

'At the same time we remember to be accessible, open, welcoming and pioneering from this base. It is a privilege to be part of this complicated work.

'This award honours the faithful service of all our past and present churchwardens and other volunteers, warmly supported by our clergy, over the years. You know who you are.

'I am asked what is my favourite part of the church is and my reply is the Tower, of course, where the bells are! Lovely!'

Read more about the event and see more photos at: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/winners2023

Come along to St Michel's on Saturday 18th November.

Open 10am to 6pm

All are welcome to come along to the church to say hello and take a look around our beautiful building. This is part of 'National Churches Trust's 'Finalists Open Day'. Enjoy refreshments at St Michael's Centre in the morning, and take a look around the Christmas Market, and from 1pm refreshments will be served in the church.

The event also coincides with the village Christmas Lights Switch On, which is at 5.30pm and you will also be able to see the Churches Together live crib scene in Church Approach.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Christian podcast for all people voiced by Nat Garrett

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 19:08:34 GMT

Podcast shares Christian perspectives on everyday life

As well as supporting Tim in parish ministry in Bishop’s Cleeve, the Revd Nat Garrett also edits, produces and publishes a weekly podcast for a digital project pioneered by the Church of England – Seen and Unseen.

Since 2022, Nat has worked part-time for the Centre for Cultural Witness (CCW) commuting into Lambeth Palace Library in London.

Nat says, “I’ve always had projects outside my parish ministry. Partnering with the Bible Society, I’ve written, produced and performed in Biblically-based plays in London and Oxford; I regularly contributed to BBC Radio Oxford and Radio 2’s Pause for Thought as well as appearing on Songs of Praise. I was a school chaplain for seven years and an Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands in London Diocese, all alongside my ministry within parish."

Nat was an actor before she was called to ordination.

Nat says, “I wanted to bring to ordained ministry my creative gifts while keeping one foot firmly in parish ministry. I strongly believe in the importance and value of parish life, but I’ve never felt that being the incumbent of a church was part of my calling. While I was training, I started going out with the curate from the nearby church and we fell in love and got married. Marrying a vicar means I will always have a life based in the parish, which is wonderful.

“I am so grateful to be able bring my creative skills and experience to the CCW, while still being deeply involved in parish life here in Bishop's Cleeve. We have been made to feel very welcome by our new parish.”

Seen & Unseen is a digital magazine published by the Centre for Cultural Witness which aims to bridge the gap between Christians and non-Christians through topical articles and stories. Nat produces the weekly episodes of Seen & Unseen Aloud , which is an audio version of articles written for the Seen & Unseen online magazine.

“The aim of Seen & Unseen is to talk about the things that people are really talking about, gathering what is good about the heritage of the Anglican Communion and the Christian tradition and repackaging it in a way that will reach today’s secular audience.

“I produce Seen & Unseen Aloud so that people can access our content anywhere – on the bus, doing the washing up – but also, importantly, so that our material is accessible to individuals who find reading content on a screen challenging for whatever reason.

Feedback has been really positive. People seem excited that there is a ‘sensible’ Christian voice talking into the public marketplace of ideas – something that is shareable and accessible.”

Seen & Unseen Aloud – is a curation of the top picks of articles published on the Seen & Unseen website.

Listen to it here: www.seenandunseen.com/podcast

Ancient stone floor restored

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 17:00:17 GMT

Aisle flooring revealed to all in its former glory

Following a year of careful planning and hard work, the ancient stone aisle flooring at St Michael's has been restored and revealed to its former glory for all to appreciate.

Ann Jessop, Churchwarden, says, "Our church surveyor instructed us to lift the aisle carpet and check the condition beneath. As he feared, the carpet had damaged the floor by trapping in the damp. You would think a carpet would protect a floor, but this is not the case with Cotswold stone which needs to 'breathe'.

"The backing of the red carpet had disintegrated into dust. The floor had been previously patched up with the wrong kind of cement, making the situation worse. Our experts delicately and painstakingly removed the cement. We then disposed of the carpet backing, and replaced the top carpet, temporarily, pending further work.

"We raised the money to finish the project, at no cost to the PCC; the Diocesan Advisory Committee granted us a faculty. We finally lifted and disposed of the red carpet. Then the conservators came back to finish their work, with specialist cleaning, filling, pointing, and repairing.

"As this floor is ancient and special, a principal of minimal intervention was applied. It looks its age! Some people remember when it used to look like this. We love the end result. We hope you do too."

The pictures below show the journey of restoring the floor.

St Michael's achieves Eco Church Bronze Award

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 19:59:39 GMT

The award recognises all the church is doing to care for and protect God's Earth

Earlier this month, we had the exciting news that we – St Michael & All Angels Church – had achieved our Eco Church Bronze Award!

Many of you may not be aware of this initiative, or that we were working towards becoming an Eco Church, so here is more information.

Eco Church is a project run by leading global Christian charity A Rocha , who describe themselves as 'a global family of conservation organisations working together to live out God’s calling to care for creation and equip others to do likewise'. Eco Church began in 2016, offering an environmental award scheme for churches in England and Wales.

At the heart of Eco Church is a unique online survey about how churches are caring for God’s Earth in different areas of life and work. The answers a church provide earn points towards an Eco Church Award – the more the church does, the more points they get!

The survey covers five key areas of church life:

Worship and Teaching
Management of Church Buildings (if applicable)
Management of Church Land (if applicable)
Community and Global Engagement
Lifestyle

Examples of ways to earn points include installing energy-saving lightbulbs, recycling waste, planting flowers or vegetables in the church grounds or teaching about creation care in Sunday school or sermons.

There are three levels of Eco Church Award – Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Ann Jessop, Churchwarden, has been leading on completing our Eco Church survey, gathering the information from different people within our church community to inform the application. We were delighted to hear that thanks to processes already in place, we immediately qualified for the Bronze Award!

Ann says, “The PCC and Churchwarden team have always acknowledged that caring for the planet was part of our Christian life and we signed up to be an Eco Church in 2021, but with other tasks and projects needing attention, plus coping with COVID and covering for staff vacancies, we were not able to take it much further till this year. We've been greatly encouraged by this news."

Tim says, "This is really exciting news for St Michael's and many thanks all those involved in the process for their efforts and dedication getting the application made and attending various trainings offered by the Central Diocesan team on Eco Church. Now on to gaining Silver!"

Read more about our story on the Diocese of Gloucester website: gloucester.anglican.org/bishops-cleeve-church-celebrates-eco-church-bronze-award

For more information about A Rocha, visit: https://arocha.org/en/theology-churches/eco-church/

If you'd like to be involved in our Eco Church work in any capacity, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact Kate in the Church Office in the first instance.

Rain doesn't stop play at Benefice BBQ

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 16:23:34 GMT

Friends from across our churches came together to share good food and company

Never deterred by a spot of rain when there are burgers and cake involved!

Thank you so much to everyone who came to our Benefice BBQ this afternoon.

And special thanks to the Garrett family for hosting and the army of helpers who made it all run so smoothly.

It was lovely to get together, despite the weather!

New pattern of services for St Michael's Church

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 10:26:46 GMT

From September 2023, we will be offering two Sunday services at St Michael's

As discussed at the Annual General Meeting, it has been our aspiration to make a fuller provision of services at St Michael’s following the changes forced on us by COVID. After looking at many different options, the PCC has agreed to hold two services on a Sunday morning, one at 9.30am and the other at 11.15am, with coffee/tea served between the two services.

Starting from September, we will trial this pattern of the services:

The services in the village churches will remain the same at the current time.

Please keep an eye on the Weekly News for any further information and on the St Michael's Church page of our website for service listings.

Gift Day 2023 – ways to respond

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 17:06:52 GMT

What is Gift Day? Why do we need it? How can I make a difference?

What is Gift Day?
In 2018, 2019 and 2021, St Michael's and All Angels Church held Gift Days. We were blessed with a remarkable response through these as we collectively focused on our personal giving. Combining individual donations, Gift Aid and donations from our sister church in Southam and our neighbouring Parish of Gotherington, Woolstone and Oxenton, the overall effect was to increase the church's income by over £70,000 across the three years.

Due to us being in the middle of significant changes as we brought services back and Malc was retiring, there was no Gift Day in 2022, and the impact of this, alongside reduced weekly giving, has had a significant effect on the church's income and the Mission we deliver.

Why are we doing this?

Our church Mission is to transform lives through Christ's love. We achieve this by dedicating our personal time and collective resources. Many things can be achieved with time and effort, but sometimes they need to be underpinned by robust, sustainable funding. The Children and Families Ministry had a considerable role in supporting families on the edge before and especially during the pandemic and was primarily supported by the funds coming in from the Gift Days. This note explains in more depth the thinking behind this year's Gift Day.

Financial stability

Financials is rarely a popular topic of conversation; however, being realistic, much of what we want to achieve in our community through St Michael's requires money. The pandemic and the associated lockdown and closures significantly impacted our church's funds, although we appreciate that we have all been affected by this somehow. Due to the national and local situation, we could not hold a Gift Day in 2020 or 2022, which significantly impacted our Mission income.

One misunderstanding we became aware of during 2020 was that people believed our church was funded by the Church of England and the Government. This is not the case; our church needs to be self-funding , and the funds we raise support the wider Diocese and Church of England. That means everything we do to support our local community is homegrown and locally funded by our Parish.

This past year has had an impact with a deficit of around £24,000 between what is coming in and what we are spending. By reviewing every penny, changing the way we were spending on some items and stopping several activities altogether, we have reduced the previous levels of expenditure, and due to staff changes, we have saved money on their wages as we were running under agreed levels in the office and the Children's and Families Minister role. However, we still find ourselves in deficit with a projected in-year deficit of around £24,000; that is how much we need to make ends meet to recruit a new Children's and Families Minister. Now we have a Treasurer in place; we are working to stabilise our financial controls and provide more information to the PCC to help us make the appropriate choices.

Children and Families Ministry (Charity No. 1135929)

Our Children and Families Ministry was formally established in 2018; through a grant and fundraising, we employed Children and Families Ministers. Through this vital ministry, our offering to families in the community has been transformed through regular Sunday and mid-week groups, baptism and Alpha courses, Life Groups and more.

What has been happening with Children and Families Ministry during 2022/23?

Baby and Toddler Groups: Praise and Play is running twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, now being staffed purely by volunteers. They can have contact at each session with 14–21 families.

Oasis Parents Group: T his informal mid-week gathering for busy parents meets each Thursday. This group has been vital to many parents as an opportunity to talk openly and freely about their challenges and share experiences with others in similar circumstances.

Lego Bible Club: An after-school club held every Thursday in the church is the highlight for many children, primarily from families not currently associated with any church. Hearing Bible stories and building them using Lego captures the children's attention and imagination in a way that works well.

JAFFA: JAFFA (Jesus a friend for life) is a dinner-time club held in Bishop's Cleeve Primary School with many regular attendees across the ages.

Youth Alpha: Several youth Alphas have been run to introduce some of the older and mature children to facts about Christianity and to help them understand more about faith in a modern world.

Sunday Groups – ranging from our Nightlights for toddlers, Sparklers for our Junior school children and Blaze for 11+, we have tried to keep these groups going across our current service pattern.

What's next?

At St Michael's, there is a definite need to see our Children and Family's Ministry sustained and restored – and we need to re-imagine a pattern of services that will enable us all to thrive.

So, in all the churches across the benefice in June, we have been thinking about how God may be calling us to give, yes, financially, but also in terms of our time, energy and gifts. As we do this together, please prayerfully consider how you could help.

Indeed, that includes praying whether you can join the Parish Giving Scheme for the first time, boost your regular giving, or make a one-off gift. But it also consists of all of us prayerfully considering how we can offer help in all sorts of ways that will revitalise our churches.

You can give regularly (you have complete control over this) – or make a one-off gift:

For St Michael’s and Southam here: Bishop’s Cleeve - Parish Giving Scheme

For WGO here: Woolstone with Gotherington & Oxenton - Parish Giving Scheme

You can offer practical help by responding here: https://forms.office.com/e/AbN9HRZPHP

Could you help, for example, in any of these areas once a month? (Or anything else God might suggest!)

The children's and young people's work
Stewarding support as we try to add back both our contemporary and traditional services
Helping maintain the churchyards
Helping on the audiovisual team

We held a Gift Day on Sunday, 2 July, but there is still time for people to make a gift, and I have already challenged myself and the PCC regarding what we could offer.

I appreciate that this is indeed a 'big ask' when many people feel tired and are worried about the cost of living when they are on fixed incomes. However, I genuinely believe that God has richly provided for us across the whole benefice in terms of dedicated, gifted and talented congregations. We will see God's Kingdom advance as we pool our gifts and resources.

Once we understand our financial position after this Gift Day, the PCC shall review and agree on how much we look to pass on and support our three valued Mission partners: the North Cotswold Food Bank, Mission Macedonia, and GrassRoots Rwanda. This will be communicated to the congregation after the PCC agrees.

Thank you for your consideration and your prayers over these next few weeks.

With love,

Tim

Lucy ordained deacon at Gloucester Cathedral

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 08:05:26 GMT

Celebrations as Lucy Barbour begins her journey of ordained ministry

On Sunday 25 June, members of our worshipping community headed to Gloucester Cathedral to support Lucy Barbour at her ordination, while others watched from home via the Diocese of Gloucester's live stream (which you can watch back here ).

Ordination is the Church’s official recognition of a person’s sense of calling to be a priest or deacon and this first step into ordination gives them the authority to do certain things in the name of God and the Church. Lucy was ordained deacon today along with seven other people.

Lucy says, "It was such a joy to be ordained with so many friends and family there, praying for and supporting me. Thank you to all those who have been holding me in their prayers, who came to the service or watched online. I feel very blessed to be in such a loving community here in Bishop's Cleeve and the surrounding villages.

"I am excited to be serving here as a curate, continuing the journey I have been on with you all for the past three years. I am also looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us all!"

After the service, photos were taken on College Green before heading back to Gotherington to celebrate with Lucy and her family over a buffet and lots of cake!

Take a look at some of the photos from the day below.

Nat shares testimony at Women's Breakfast

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 10:55:14 GMT

Nearly 50 women arrived for first Women's Breakfast since lockdown

At 9am, women from across our churches came together at St Michael's to share breakfast.

Having set out tables in the Chancel for 30, as more and more guests came through the door it was soon apparent we needed more tables and quite a few more croissants – with 46 women gathered in the end.

Nat says, "When planning for this morning, for some reason I thought we'd welcome around six guests ... so it was truly wonderful to see so many women come out to get together and get to know one another more. Thank you also to all those who helped make this morning possible –serving drinks, setting out the tables and offering a warm welcome. It was lovely to be with you."

After enjoying a continental breakfast and chat over teas and coffees, the Rev Nat shared her personal testimony of how she came to be ordained, having begun her career in acting and drama – with laughter and a few tears shared.

Feedback slips were provided and lots of encouraging comments were made: "Fantastic morning, thank you." "So good to be back together." "Thank you for organising this." and "Really enjoyed the set up and talk, thank you Nat."

We hope if you were there that you enjoyed the morning; we'd love to hear your feedback. If you weren't able to make it, don't worry there will be other Women's Breakfasts in the future – keep an eye on the Weekly News for dates.

Fun at the Fair – Teddy Bear Parachute Jump

Sun, 11 Jun 2023 17:28:45 GMT

Bears and stuffed toys of all shapes and sizes take flight off the church tower

The sun shone today at the Bishop's Cleeve Street Fair and back after a four-year break was the ever-popular Teddy Bear Parachute Jump.

People arrived to enter their bears and other shaped stuffed friends into the jump, with some fantastic parachute designs – from the simple carrier bag to the more elaborate umbrella. A selection of delicious cake and refreshments was provided inside the church by a team of volunteers and lots of people from the local community gathered at 3pm on the grass to watch the teddies being hurled from the top of the tower, with entertainment from our compere, Robey Jenkins.

No bears were harmed in the event and all were safely stretchered to the collection area by members of the 1st Bishop's Cleeve Brownies.

The difficult decision to choose winners went to our judges: Councillor Alex Hegenbarth, ex-pilot Laurie, and Churchwarden Ann Jessop. Prizes were given out for the best jump, best parachute and the best mishap!

For many bears it was their first jump, and we look forward to seeing them coming out again next year to better their attempt! Take a look at the photos and see if you can spot yours...

Gift Day 2023

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:02:09 GMT

A 'big ask' from Tim – your church needs you!

Having taken stock of the whole Benefice at our two Annual Meetings, it is very clear that both St Michael’s, and the Benefice as a whole, face significant challenges. In both parishes, our expenditure outstripped our income during 2022, which is unsustainable.

At St Michael’s, there is a very specific need to see our Children and Family’s Ministry sustained and restored – and we need to re-imagine a pattern of services that will enable us all to thrive.

So, during June, in all the churches across the benefice, we are thinking about the ways in which God may be calling us to give, yes financially, but also in terms of our time, our energy and our gifts. As we do this together, may I ask you, please, to prayerfully consider any ways in which you could help?

Certainly, that includes praying through whether you may be able to join the Parish Giving Scheme for the first time – or to boost your regular giving – or make a one-off gift... But it also includes all of us, prayerfully, to consider how we can offer help in all sorts of ways that will revitalise our churches.

Could you help, for example, in any of these areas maybe just once a month? (Or anything else God might suggest!)

The children and young people’s work
Stewarding support as we try to add back both our contemporary and traditional services
Helping maintain the churchyards
Helping on the audiovisual team

We are working towards Gift Day on Sunday, 2 July and I have already challenged both myself and the PCC as to what we could offer. I really appreciate that this is indeed a 'big ask' when many people feel tired and are worried about the cost of living when they are on fixed incomes. However, I genuinely believe that God has richly provided for us across the whole benefice in terms of dedicated, gifted and talented congregations, and that as we pool our gifts and resources, we will see God’s Kingdom advancing.

Thank you for your consideration and for your prayers over these next few weeks.

With love,

Tim

If you would like to give financially, please do visit the Parish Giving Scheme, using the links below, or see our Giving page for more ways to give.

Bishops Cleeve - Parish Giving Scheme

Woolstone with Gotherington & Oxenton - Parish Giving Scheme

Lucy Barbour's ordination service – a message from Tim

Thu, 25 May 2023 21:41:53 GMT

Keeping Lucy and family in our prayers as she prepares for ordination

LUCY’S ORDINATION – SUNDAY 25th JUNE AT GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL

"I am thrilled to announce that Lucy Barbour will be ordained on Sunday 25th June at Gloucester Cathedral. She will then serve as a Pioneer Curate across the whole of our Benefice.

This is a self-supporting role (i.e. the Diocese is not paying her) and, as such, it is important for us to digest that she will be working on a part-time basis. However, it is wonderful that she can continue with us and further develop the work that God has called her to.

The service starts at 10.15am; however, the Cathedral has asked that everyone is present at least 45 minutes before the service starts, so by 9.30am. The service will last approximately 1.5 hours which will be followed by photos outside the Cathedral.

The service itself isn't particularly child friendly (i.e., there will be lots of words, it's long and it's not very interactive) but if children do get restless there is a creche or the cloisters to explore. Please let us know if you wish to register a child for the creche (email admin@stmichaelsbishopscleeve.co.uk or call 07354 874617 ).

Please join with me in praying for Lucy as she reaches this important milestone in her ministry."

Love, Tim

Treasure trail and cream teas at the Church picnic

Mon, 22 May 2023 21:57:23 GMT

All ages enjoyed good food and fun at the after-church picnic

We had a lovely afternoon in church after the service on Sunday 21 May, with over 20 teams doing the treasure trail and cream teas and cake for over 60 people. Thank you to all who brought their picnics and joined us.

"We had such a lovely time, thank you so much for organising it all. The treasure hunt was superb, the cakes delicious and the fellowship so uplifting." Sally S

"Fabulous day thank you x" Lisa T

"Special thanks to all who served us with drinks and cake AND for washing and clearing up." Linda D

Our next picnic in church is straight after the 11am service on Sunday 18 June .

This is a lovely opportunity to join as a community to eat, chat and get to know one another better. All are welcome, please bring your picnic savories and we’ll provide the drinks and puddings.

Tim Garrett's Induction service

ultimateproof@blueyonder.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 13:58:54 GMT

Welcome to our new Team Rector!

We had a really special evening on Monday 30th January, as we welcomed the Revd Tim Garrett as our new Rector.

Bishop Rachel led a service of Induction which was full of joy and ceremony and then followed by a fantastic feast.

Thank you so much to everyone who made the service possible and to those who came from far and near to support Tim, Nat, Jemima and Tabitha.

We are excited for the next step in our benefice!

Meet the new Rector and his family

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 10:14:23 GMT

The Garrett Family

Tim, Nat, Jemima and Tabitha greatly look forward to moving to join you in Bishop’s Cleeve, Southam, Woolstone, Gotherington and Oxenton early in 2023 – it’s an exciting new chapter for us as a family!

After 10 years of working in NHS management, Tim has over 20 years’ experience of parish ministry – including city life, rural life and most recently 13 years in Twickenham.

Tim and Nat met in Oxford where Tim was serving his curacy and Nat was training for ordination. When we were first married, we served together in a rural benefice based in the villages around Burford and used to come to Cheltenham on our day off. We are so pleased to be coming back to the beauty of the Cotswolds.

Nat works with Bishop Graham Tomlin at the Centre for Cultural Witness, based at Lambeth Palace but is also keen to join the mission and ministry across the Benefice.

We both love seeing people’s lives transformed by the Gospel and helping people grow in their walk with Jesus Christ.

As a family, we love watching Strictly Come Dancing together, playing board games and going for walks. Jemima (13) and Tabitha (11) are especially excited about the move because it means (at last) we’ll be getting a dog!

We look forward to sharing life and getting to know you very soon.

With love and prayers, Tim, Nat, Jemima and Tabitha

Saying Goodbye

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 12:40:59 GMT

Saying goodbye to Revd. Malc

On Sunday 11 September the Church was packed to say goodbye to Revd. Malc Allen who has served our community as Rector of St Michael's Church for 13 years. He will be greatly missed but we look forward to hearing about all his new adventure to come.

Here are some of his words of thanks:

'My last service and garden party afterwards was a wonderful day full of joy and sadness. I was blown away by a full church and the love you showed me. It's been a privilege to be a part of your lives, and you have blessed mine.

Thank you so much for all your cards and encouraging messages and prayers. And a huge thank you too for the amazing gift from you all. You are so generous!! I'm sure I'll see lots of you somewhere at some point. And you'll remain in my prayers.'

Church clock chime back in service!

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 10:16:17 GMT

We are delighted that after a week of complicated work, and the generous donations of the church and wider community, our clock chime is now back in service! Ann Jessop, Churchwarden, provides a brief history of the repair:

Fifty years ago, a young man, Iain Staite, aged 25, tragically died while felling trees. In his memory, his parents paid for the electrification of the 1890 tower clock in St Michael’s. This meant it no longer had to be wound every week. The three winding motors from 1972 are still there on the top of the clock cabinet, as you can see in the picture, and we keep these as part of our history. But, after long and reliable service, in 2020 they were clearly failing and their malfunction prevented the quarterly chimes from operating. We obtained three quotes for a repair and they were all around £8,000.

This happened at a bad time for the church and the village. We were struggling to get through the COVID-19 pandemic. The church had no money to spare. Our income was seriously reduced while the building was closed. Applications for grants were partially successful, but there was not much money out there. In the end, the congregation and the village came to the rescue, with a wonderful response to our crowdfunding appeal.

We then had to be patient for six months as Smith of Derby, the chosen supplier, were busy with other contracts. Bryan Mumford did some electrical work in readiness. Smiths finally came to us in November 2021 and clock engineer Richard Cox spent all last week fitting the new winding units, which were specially made for us in Smith’s workshop. The new units are now inside the clock cabinet but I managed to photograph them before they went upstairs.

This seemed to be the right time to sort out some other clock matters and so, at the same time, we installed a night silencer, so as not to disturb the sleep of those who live nearby. In addition, the bellringers now have a ringers’ switch, which replaces the old cable system we had for pulling the clock hammers clear so we could ring the bells safely.

For financial contributions we wish to thank the Allchurches Trust , the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust , the Warneford Trust , the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers , the bellringers, the congregations and the generous people of Bishop’s Cleeve. A good job done!

We have learned that we cannot take anything for granted. Everything must be monitored and maintained and paid for. With all these new works in place, with care and diligence we hope the clock and chimes will be good for many years to come. Enjoy!

Mindfulness Course - a review

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 10:11:04 GMT

Lucy Barbour reflects on her experience of learning about mindfulness

Back in June, Lucy Barbour (Trainee Pioneer Minister) attended a Mindfulness Course run by Dr Jo Powell from Parachute Mindfulness. Held in St Michael's Church, the course ran for 6 weeks and introduced the participants to mindfulness and how to practice the techniques to benefit daily life. Here, Lucy shares her experience of the course and how her faith enhanced what she learned.

What is Mindfulness?

Vicar and Mindfulness teacher, Tim Stead, defines mindfulness as ‘being more fully aware of your own experience in the present moment in a non-judgmental way.’ As a practice it has grown in popularity over the past 30 years after a course created to support people with stress and anxiety went mainstream around the world.

In more recent years, mindfulness has begun to be taught and practiced by Christians who recognise its connection to ancient Christian practices and its potential spiritual depth. Christian mindfulness often draws from the same practices that have been developed in the secular world, but with a spiritual emphasis.

How I Found the Practice?

The Breathing Anchor

A starting point for mindfulness is the use of an anchor, often the breath, to root us or create a place to stand from. It is from this position that we seek better awareness of what is going on in our mind, body, and our busy life. In this practice, and variations of it, the key is to use the breath to re-anchor you every time your mind wanders. This is not about ignoring thoughts, but to recognise that they are not the full picture and can distract us for focusing on what is real around us.

There was one time that I was particularly upset when I attempted the practice. In this space I found myself rejecting the exercise in quite a physical way. It was as if I was afraid of being still, as I knew it would bring up thoughts and feelings that I didn’t want to experience. My desire was instead to stop and distract myself with my phone or TV.

In this space, I found that having a Christian emphasis on the practice was extremely helpful. I was able to not only focus on my breath, but to visualise God with me in the breath. This helped me to invite God into the time and gave a new depth to the anchor.

It makes sense that our breath would be a good place to anchor us into the present moment, especially when we reflect on the many verses in the bible that connect our breath with the life that God gives us.

Body Scan and Mindfulness of Body and Breath

These mindfulness practices aim to focus awareness on the body and to notice how we are in our physical presence.

It was interesting to find time to focus on my body, as it demonstrated to me how often I choose to live disembodied from myself. In the busy holidays, with children not far away, I often spent most of the day ready to undertake jobs. To cope with the pace of life, I realised I had almost stepped outside of my body to make it easier to simply function.

This awareness was very powerful and helped me to see the significant benefits of practicing mindfulness on many levels. I realised that quite often when I come to read the bible and pray, I am still in an almost disembodied state, functioning, but not really being present before God.

Kindly Awareness

This is a mindfulness practice which has deep spiritual resonance for me. It is a practice that encourages you to visualise kindness on to a series of people, including yourself, and someone you struggle with. I found undertaking this a moving experience as my faith has taught me a great deal about the importance of behaving with kindness and grace towards others. Knowing this is not always easy made this practice even more significant, as it gave me a space not only to pray for God’s help, but to practice how the process of demonstrating kindness might feel.

My Personal Reflection

I found practicing mindfulness an extremely positive experience. It was not often easy, but that didn’t feel like a problem. Other spiritual practices that I have tried previously have sometimes left me feeling disheartened or frustrated with myself. This was because I had considered these practices as something that needed to be achieved or done well.

In contrast, the promotion of non-judgement in mindfulness is liberating as it focuses on the ongoing journey and not the practice itself. I have come to realise how important this is for our spirituality, where the goal should never be the practice itself, but the fullness that we are seeking in Christ because of it. I believe Brian Draper explains this idea beautifully, when he writes: ‘the true goal of spirituality is not to become more spiritual, but to become more fully human.’

One preconception I had about mindfulness was the idea that it was about emptying the mind and detaching from reality. As a person who loves to think and be active, this felt like something I would find unenjoyable and unwanted. However, I have learned that it is not about emptying the mind, but about developing better awareness of what is going on in the mind, alongside the body, with the aim of becoming more fully present in life with God.

This helped to remind me of the occasions where I have experienced great spiritual peace when my mind is less consumed by thoughts and more immersed in a physical experience, such as being confronted with nature, walking or running. I have come to realise that these experiences feel spiritually profound because I am more fully present as my whole self within them with God, in contrast to simply functioning.

Professor Mark Williams is right to say that ‘Mindfulness can nourish and renew our faith,’ as it has many ways to complement existing spiritual practices such as prayer and bible reading. Most importantly, I have learned that undertaking a practice like mindfulness, is not about letting go of my active lifestyle or my love of learning. Instead, I would hope that it would complement who I am, by opening me up to greater awareness and reminding me to make true space for God.

I have come to see that Christian mindfulness is a spiritual aid when it helps us be fully alive as human beings in a world that is full of God’s presence but where we perhaps are oblivious to it.

"God is not present to us tomorrow. God is not present to us yesterday. God is only ever present to us today. But when tomorrow comes, that will be the present and God will be there too. Let us make sure, though, that we, too, are present when tomorrow comes."

Rev'd Tim Stead

Look out for future updates about Mindfulness courses at St Michael's.

For more information about Parachute Mindfulness, visit: https://parachutemindfulness.co.uk/

Gift Day 2021 Success!

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 13:15:48 GMT

We were overwhelmed by the generosity of all those who pledged a gift on our Gift Day 2021 to support the ongoing ministry at St Michael's!

We are delighted to confirm we have reached the target we set, to share across our Children & Families Ministry, with our three Mission Partners, and towards our Deficit Fund.

Thank you again - and to all those who worked behind the scenes to help make our Gift Day 2021 run so smoothly.

Of course, if you have been waiting to make your gift, you can still do so until the end of July. Please contact our Treasurer by email: dsnape@stmichaelsbishopscleeve.co.uk or visit: https://www.stmichaelsbishopscleeve.co.uk/give

God bless you all!

St Michael's Church Gift Day - Sunday 4th July

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 10:42:34 GMT

Our Gift Day will be on Sunday 4th July.

This is an opportunity to make a financial contribution towards the work of St Michael's. On previous Gift Day's we have been blessed with a remarkable response as we collectively focused our personal giving. We appreciate the impact of the pandemic, and didn't hold a Gift Day last year because of this; however, we are now in a place where we need to seek financial support.

This year, we are focusing on three Mission areas:

Children & Families Ministry , to continue the positive work with families in our community
Mission Partners ( Bishop's Cleeve Food Bank , GrassRoots Rwanda , Mission Macedonia )
the St Michael's Church Deficit Fund (see the video link for more about this)

we are also promo ting the vaccination donation scheme with Gloucester Diocese.

Why are we doing this?

Our Church Mission is to Transform Lives through Christ’s Love. We achieve this by dedicating our personal time and collective resources. Many things can be achieved with time and effort but sometimes they need to be underpinned by robust, sustainable funding.

More details about how to donate are available on our Giving page. You can also see updates on our Facebook Group (you don't have to be a member of Facebook to view these ).

We really hope you take a moment to reflect on how you might be able to donate to our Mission enabled by these Ministries.

Click below to watch our short Gift Day 2021 presentation. If you would like more information about our financial status, watch the APCM Financial Report video at the bottom (15 minutes):

St Michael & All Angels, with Southam APCM

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 21:45:48 GMT

Sunday 27th June 2021 at 3pm

The St Michael's Church, with Southam APCM will be held at 3pm on 27th June 2021 at St Michael's Church . It is open for people to attend. Please arrive on the day with your mask and you will be shown to a seat.

Please watch the Financial Report video below which gives a detailed summary of our financial status.

Year End Accounts to 31st December 2020. A copy of the church accounts are HERE .
APCM Minutes from October 2020, are HERE .
APCM 2021 Report and Financial Statement, is HERE .

Questions on the accounts needed to be with the Treasurer by 13th June .

Email: Dsnape@stmichaelsbishopscleeve.co.uk

Church can chime again!

Wed, 19 May 2021 09:43:21 GMT

Thank you so much to everyone who donate and shared our fundraising page for the repair of the church clock. After just 2 weeks, we're very excited to announce we have reached our target that guarantees the clock chime can be repaired!

Churchwardens have chosen a supplier to repair the clock and this will soon go to PCC. The time between placing an order and completing the work is likely to be around 10 weeks. So we are looking hopefully towards August. We will update the website when we know more.

The amazing fundraiser was also featured in an article on Gloucestershire Live .

Thank you again for your patience and support.

Baptism at St Michael's ... what you need to know

Wed, 05 May 2021 09:46:12 GMT

Next baptism preparation course starts June 2021

Thinking about baptism this year? If you would like to hold yours or your child's baptism at St Michael's then you'll want to get booked onto our next Baptism Alpha Course.

This short, friendly course helps you understand the meaning of baptism and its significance to Christians. It is important you attend all of these sessions in order to book your baptism at St Michael's.

Due to government restrictions, the meetings will be held via Zoom video conferencing.

The provisional date for the next course will be 7.30pm on Tuesday 8th June . Please register your interest with the Church office at parishchurchoffice@gmail.com .

To find out more, you can also read the Baptism Preparation page .

What is Alpha?

Our alpha course is aimed at baptism families and their potential Godparents, and basically anyone else interested in exploring if there’s any truth to the Christian faith. Each session lasts about an hour to hour and a half max and runs for 8 weeks. Each week we show a video and discuss it, and ask any questions.

There is no pass or fail, just helping parents understand if Christening (baptism), thanksgiving or a dedication service - or none of the above, is right for their family.

If Godparents aren’t baptised, they can also be baptised with their Godchild by exploring this course and understanding the commitments they need to say at the service on behalf of their Godchild.

The course is led by our Children and Families Minister, Sallie Mumford and is our main route way to having a Christening in our church at the present time.

Further resources

There are three introductory 7/8 minute videos for parenting babies and toddlers in faith, and to help you think about baptism, thanksgivings and dedications, and how church can help you and your baby - even if you’ve never been to church before. We have people in our churches who are willing to meet up with and support parents with babies and children.

1. Baptism and Dedication Preparation Video: Words

https://youtu.be/KdOl5LIK31U

2. Baptism and Dedication Preparation Video: Music

https://youtu.be/nIxoux5ryVk

3. Baptism and Dedication Preparation Video: Community

https://youtu.be/ohbpBBdrCK0

To find out more, please contact Sallie Mumford on sallie.mumford@outlook.com

Rev'd Richard Reakes to join the Diocese of Leicester

Tue, 04 May 2021 08:45:33 GMT

For those of you who were not in our churches on Sunday, we announced that Rev'd Richard Reakes has been appointed Rector of The Four Saints Benefice in the Diocese of Leicester.

The benefice is made up of the villages of Countesthorpe, Foston, Peatling Magna and Willoughby Waterleys. He will be instituted and inducted on Sunday, 8th August by Rt Rev'd Martyn Snow, Bishop of Leicester. Richard’s last Sunday in the benefice will be 18th July.

Richard says, ‘Claire and I will be very sad to leave Gloucestershire, where we have been blessed to be part of a wonderful community and have been extremely happy for the past seven years. Our ministry here has been rewarding in so many ways and we thank each and every one of you for enriching our journey. Now it is time to move on and we look forward to an exciting new chapter in our lives in Leicestershire.’

Rev'd Malc Allen says: 'I join many others who will greatly miss Richard and Claire. Richard’s personal brand of ministry, in particular, has been a real blessing to the communities he served, to others he worked with and to me personally. However, as with the apostles and disciples before us, God moves us on to do a new work in a new place, according to his plans and purposes for the Kingdom, and so, we pray every blessing for a fruitful and happy next chapter of their lives.'

Please join us in praying for Richard and Claire as they prepare for this new season and move to Leicester.

Can you help the church clock chime again?

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 21:28:29 GMT

Fundraising begins to restore historic clock

The periodic chimes that ring out across Bishop's Cleeve have been silent for over a year and much-missed by people in the community. So, we have started a fundraiser to give the local community the opportunity to help restore the beloved chimes to full working order.

The clock was installed in 1890 and a part that was fitted in 1973 needs replacing by a specialist company. This is an expensive repair with costs ranging from £6,360 to £8,500 (inc VAT).

The pandemic has affected everyone in different ways and St Michael's Church is no different. We have experienced a significant drop in income and have been prioritising our resources towards supporting the people in our local community.

We recognise, however, that the chimes are missed by many and we have been quietly raising money by applying to charitable funds for grants. We have had some success, generating commitments of £3,500 towards this specific repair. We also know the equivalent VAT can be reclaimed which means we are halfway there! St Michael’s Church is not in a position to pay for the repair from the limited funds it has available, and we did not feel it appropriate before now to put out a public fundraiser given the hardships faced by many in our community.

However, there has been a growing interest in our community and many people are keen to see the chimes repaired. We have set up this fundraiser to allow passionate members of our community to engage with this project and support the repair.

Notes: All funds raised will be designated to the repair of the clock and chimes. Any funds in excess of the fundraising target will be designated to the upkeep of the church building (the fabric). This fundraiser is a separate event to the annual Gift Day that St Michael's Church operates to raise funds for mission and ministry, that event will occur later this year.

At 28th April we had raised £4,290.00 towards our £7,000.00 target!

To donate online visit our dedicated giving page:

virginmoneygiving.com/fund/stmichaelschimes

To donate by cash or a cheque - make cheques out to 'Bishop's Cleeve PCC', place your donation in an envelope marked 'St Michael's Clock Fund' and post it at Church Office in St Michael's Centre.

Many thanks for your support.

11am church service at St Michael's

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 21:07:36 GMT

In-church worship service resumes, April 2021

We are so delighted that our church is now open to all for public worship. Each Sunday at 11am will see Rev Malc and various members of our ministry team lead worship - alternating between Traditional style (with organ and choir members) and Contemporary style (with music group).

If you wish to attend St Michael's you can just turn up, there's no need to book at present (although spaces are limited currently due to social distancing restrictions). Arrive with your mask and contact details will be taken on the door by our welcome team. Unfortunately, children's groups are not able to run at present so children will need to stay with you in your bubble.

Our online talks - shown on our Facebook Group and YouTube - will be refreshed to bring you, we hope, a range of different content each week. Please visit the Facebook Group to see what is available to watch or listen to.

If you missed any of our previous lockdown Talks (Rev Malc has recorded a full year's worth!), you can watch them all on our YouTube channel .

Easter Services 2021

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 22:38:56 GMT

Easter Services at St Michael & All Angels and villages 2021

Easter looks different again this year, but we have a range of services both online and in-person available in Bishop's Cleeve and surrounding villages. Take a look below or visit our Facebook Group for more information.

Services in St Michael & All Angels, Bishop’s Cleeve

Good Friday

11am – Contemporary-style worship with Kathryn Lea on keyboard.

Easter Sunday

11am – Traditional-style worship with Holy Communion (bread only), organ and choir voices.

Booking a seat is recommended

Seating will be socially distant, so to be sure of a place, please email parishchurchoffice@gmail.com or telephone the office mobile number 07485 261782 and provide the following information:

• Your name, phone number and email address.

• The name of anyone in your household or bubble who will be sitting with you.

• Phone number of every person sitting with you.

This allows our Stewards to arrange the chairs into bubble groups ahead of the service to enable smooth arrival and seating.

• You will need to wear a mask and sanitise your hands in the porch on arrival.

• There can be no congregational singing and you are asked to take away any order of service with you.

• Unfortunately, we are unable to provide children’s groups at this service but children are welcome and should remain in your family grouping/bubble throughout the service.

Alternatively, if you feel like coming along along the day, then do join us, there may well be seats available.

Services from our villages with Rev Richard Reakes

Wednesday 31st March

5pm – Evening Prayer by Zoom online

Good Friday
10am – Good Friday Reflection by Zoom online

Easter Day
5pm – Easter Praise by Zoom online

If you wish to take part in any of our villages Zooms, please email Rev Richard Reakes: Richard.vicarage@gmail.com who will send you the necessary information.

Not sure what Easter’s really all about?

You are not alone … watch this 90-second video.

To find out more, email parishchurchoffice@gmail.com and register your interest in an Alpha course run by St Michael’s s mall groups.

Pilates - 4-week online course

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 16:11:42 GMT

Free online course open to all

At St Michael's Church, we are committed to helping our community live well in body, mind and spirit. As part of that we are excited to be partnering with the One Life Project to bring you a free 4-week course called Pilates & more.

Starting on Thursday 18 March at 7.30pm and open for all, we will be hosting four online pilates sessions and chat around subjects ranging from patience to grace. This is a great opportunity to explore fitness alongside faith and meaning.

Please register your interest by emailing lucyannbarbour@gmail.com.

World Day of Prayer

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 22:29:58 GMT

A women-led, global, ecumenical movement

Friday 5th March is World Day of Prayer, when we would usually meet in one of our churches to join together in an international service. As we are unable to meet in person this year, members of St Michael's and Churches Together are organising the service via Zoom (and booklets will be sent out to those who do not have access to IT).

Participants can join at 2pm on Friday 5th March by clicking on the link that we will be posted on the St Michael's Facebook Group or sent out by email closer to the date. To sign up or to request a booklet, please email: parishchurchoffice@gmail.com

The Day of Prayer is celebrated in over 170 countries. It begins in Samoa, and prayer in native languages travels throughout the world – through Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas before finishing in American Samoa some 39 hours later.

For further information and resources, together with details of services in your area see the WDP website: World Day of Prayer 2021 here .

Silence & Reflection

Sat, 30 Jan 2021 19:50:28 GMT

Focus on wellbeing and faith in new church series

On 18th January, we began a weekday series of short morning devotions - time to be with ourselves, to pause, breathe and connect with God. These daily videos have been posted to our Facebook Group which is open to the public so can be viewed by anyone whether a Facebook member or not.

You can also watch each session on our Silence & Solitude series page where they have been published for your convenience to watch at a time to suit you.

You can also listen to the series on our Podcast .

Church closing - Tier 4 update

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 17:48:46 GMT

An update on our in-person church services - Jan 2021

Following much thought, prayer and discussion over the last couple of days, and in order to help with the efforts to contain the new variant of coronavirus, the Church Leadership Team and PCC at St Michael's have made the difficult decision to suspend corporate worship in church until further notice.

We will continue to offer a weekly online talk. You can watch or listen to Rev Malc's Talks in different ways to suit you:

Live on Facebook (at 11am each Sunday)
on YouTube
on the Talks page of this website
or listen on our Podcast .

While our Churchwardens, Stewards, and all those attending have all done an excellent job at being 'COVID-safe' in church, and we are permitted to hold worship services in Tier 4, we feel the risk is too great. The wellbeing of our congregation and those leading and taking part in our services has to be our top priority. This is not an ideal situation, of course, but we feel that this is the right course of action to do our part in these unusual circumstances.

Church is, of course, a people and not a building. We know that even though we cannot come together physically for fellowship, and that is disappointing for many and perhaps difficult for some, we are a community of God's people wherever we may find ourselves.

While corporate worship, including Sunday morning services, have been suspended, our church will remain open for private prayer each week, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10am – 11am .

This decision will be reviewed regularly, and we look forward to welcoming you back into our church building as soon as we are able.

'God is ... ' Advent Calendar by Sally Snape

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 16:00:02 GMT

We're excited to share a unique daily advent reflection from our very own prophetic artist Sally Snape.

Using the concept of 'God is ...', Sally prayerfully prepared each day's drawing to encourage and comfort others during advent. Originally published on our Facebook Group throughout December, we have shared the set with you to enjoy below.

You can find out more about Sally's artwork here .

A Christmas Message

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 10:30:02 GMT

A Christmas message from your friends at St Michael's Church

Our virtual Nativity!

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 13:00:57 GMT

As we were unable to meet for our Nativity in church we put a request out for families to share clips of the story filmed in their homes, using whatever they had around them for inspiration! Here is the result of all your hard work and contribution... we hope you enjoy it!

Jill Muir

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 12:42:58 GMT

It is with great sadness that we share that our lovely Jill Muir has passed away. She was surrounded by her family and she was peaceful in the knowledge that she was going to meet Jesus.

Jill was prayerful, wise and thoughtful, and has been a light, comfort and role model to so many of us. She served as a leader in the church she loved and as a trustee for our Mission Partner charity GrassRoots Rwanda .

Her heart was full of love for people and she will be greatly missed by so many of us.

If you would like to give something in memory of Jill, you can donate to the Teddies for Tots fundraiser for pre-school children in Rwanda - a project particularly close to Jill's heart.

Thank you for keeping Pete, Jo, Tom and all the family in your prayers.

Comfort & Joy at our 2020 Carol Service

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 16:03:32 GMT

A reflective service as we enter Christmas Week.

Sunday 20th brought a quieter carol service than usual - where normally the church would be filled with people. The church was still full - as much as was allowed due to the restrictions - and this made for a particularly special and poignant service as we heard the Christmas story anew.

One attendee commented: "The quiet, reflective tone, intermixed with the familiar readings and the music, really suited this year's mood. The quartet's singing helped us to ponder on the carols' language in a focused way."

Others shared that they found it a 'lovely' and 'beautiful' service.

Our next services are on Thursday 24th December at 10.45am and our Midnight Communion at 11.30pm. These are by ticket only.

Christmas Services at St Michael's

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 22:37:02 GMT

Our church is open this Christmas and we'd love to welcome you!

We are delighted to be able to open our church for services for Christmas, although we do have a booking system in place due to the current restrictions. Please see below our services, you can reserve your seat/s by emailing parishchurchoffice@gmail.com .

20th December - 6.30pm - Carol Service

24th December - 10.45am - Christmas Eve Holy Communion

24th December - 11.30pm - Christmas Eve Midnight Communion

25th December - 10.30am - Christmas Day Celebration with Communion

Due to social distancing regulations, seating in the church is limited so is being organised on a booking system. Please reserve your seat/s by emailing parishchurchoffice@gmail.com with the following:

Name/s of each person attending
Contact telephone numbers
Service/s attending
Seats (Please let us know fam ily groups/bubbles so we can move the chairs accordingly). Friends and family are very welcome!

Additional information

The services will be around 45 minutes w ith both contemporary and modern worship music.

You will be booked in on arrival and your seats will be ready for you.

Please wear a face mask throughout the service and santise your hands on entry.

All attendees' details will be kept in accordance with Trace and Trace Guidance.

Please do pop an email to the office on parishchurchoffice@gmail.com . We look forward to seeing you.

St Michael's Christmas Tree Decorating & Christingle

ultimateproof@blueyonder.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Sat, 12 Dec 2020 17:08:01 GMT

Children add a touch of sparkle to our tree

It was so lovely to see everyone who came by to our activity afternoon to help decorate our Christmas tree. Children added their stars and homemade decorations with their pretty designs and prayers.

We gave each child a Christingle pack including an orange, candle and sweets to make their own Christingles at home, as we have not been able to hold our popular service this year. You can watch the Church of England's online Christingle service, which includes a great section from our own Bishop Rachel, Gloucester Diocese, here https://fb.me/e/1OOnRDVyz

The path to church was also decorated with numerous painted pebbles with nativity scenes and Christmas messages.

Here is just a selection of the beautiful decorations and pebbles that were have made. We are sure you'll agree, they look amazing!

Christmas Family Activities 12th December

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 20:08:15 GMT

We have some exciting activities lined up for December.

Christmas Tree Decorating - 12th December at 1pm - 3pm

Come along on Saturday 12th December between 1pm and 3pm and bring your home-decorated tree decoration to put on the church Christmas tree. (This is a drop-in-only activity.) While at home making your decoration, you may like to write a prayer and write on or attach it to your tree decoration as well.

Pebbles of Hope

Find a pebble or small rock and paint/draw a character from the Nativity story. There are lots to choose from - Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, angels etc and don’t forget the animals! Or paint a simple decoration showing love, peace and joy. Bring them along on the 12th and help line the church driveway with pebbles. (Paint with clear nail polish if you have it as it helps to make them last longer.)

Lots of people walk through the churchyard every day and will be cheered up and encouraged by the pebbles of love, joy and hope of the Christmas story.

Christingle

Pop in to church on the 12th between 1pm and 3pm to collect a Christingle orange pack to take home. We can’t hold our own Christingle this year, but you can join in with Bishop Rachel who is doing a Christingle service live on Facebook on Sunday 13th December at 9am.

Church Leadership update

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 10:13:32 GMT

Two new members of CLT announced

We are very pleased to announce that Andrew Young and Lucy Barbour have joined our Church Leadership Team (CLT).

Please pray for them and for our now re-shaped CLT as they discern the Lord's voice and seek to lead us as God leads them.

For a full list of CLT and our PCC, see our website: https://www.stmichaelsbishopscleeve.co.uk/church-team

Monthly Prayer Day - 6th December

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 16:45:15 GMT

SAVE THE DATE - PRAYER DAY, 6TH DECEMBER

Prayer is a vital part of who we are as church. In response to the increase in people seeking God and in prayer participation locally and globally, we have decided to hold a monthly Prayer Day.

This is open to anyone, whether you consider yourself an old-time pray-er or are new to faith - God wants to hear from each one of us.

During your chosen one-hour slot between 7am-8pm on 6th December, and every first Sunday of the month, we will pray for our world, our leaders, our people and communities. Last time, we had over 30 people sign-up and it would be fantastic if we had more!

Sign up with Ian Drake at stmichaelsprayerchain@outlook.com who will send you resources and information to help you in your prayer hour.

Introducing Lucy Barbour, Trainee Pioneer Minister

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 22:05:55 GMT

We are delighted to welcome Lucy Barbour and her family to the St Michael's team. Lucy is training within the Church of England structure to become an ordained Pioneer Minister and, as she lives in our benefice, will be associated with St Michael's for the next three years.

Pioneer ministry is shaped rather differently to the traditional idea of a minister. Their first instinct may well be to do very little except listen – to the community, to God, to the wider church, to the story of a place and community. As they do so, they begin to give birth to a vision for how the gospel can be faithfully expressed in this new place. However, this may not be a fully formed vision, with a five-year strategy and an itemised budget. Pioneers are comfortable with emergence, with seeking to follow the Spirit, and allowing dialogue between the gospel and a community in order to shape their ministry.

Here's Lucy's introduction in her own words: "Hi, We are the Barbour family, Lucy, Pete, Ben (7) and Annie (4), and we are excited to be joining St Michael's Church. Some of you might know us already as we live locally in Gotherington and have been involved in some church activities. For those who don’t, we are really looking forward to meeting you and being able to say hello in person.

Pioneering is not so much about one new way of doing Church, but is instead, a focus on where and who we minister to. It is often a particular call to help the Church flourish on the margins, focusing on mission and engaging with culture. One of our observations of St Michael's is its strong missional heart and we are excited to be getting involved alongside you all.

We are looking forward to getting to know you soon, but in the meantime do get in touch if you want to say hello or ask any questions on lucy@barbour.co

Also, if you are interested in learning more about Pioneering you can visit the website for The Church Mission Society where Lucy is training; https://pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org / or https://www.churchofengland.org/pioneering

With love

Lucy, Pete, Ben and Annie"

Lucy will be supported in her training by Rev Malc Allen and the Church Leadership Team , and will get involved in various initiatives along the way. Please join us in welcoming Lucy and Peter when you see them around (either on Zoom, Facebook or in person).

28 days of prayer

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 13:22:25 GMT

A call to prayer for the nation

Y ou are invited to join in with daily prayer - please see below an extract from a letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury's office:

On All Saints Day the Archbishops wrote to all the clergy in the Church of England. In this letter they stated their conviction that the first and primary response of the Church at this time was prayer.

“Bearing in mind our primary vocation as the Church of Jesus Christ to pray and to serve we call upon the Church of England to make this month of lockdown a month of prayer. More than anything else, whatever the nation thinks, we know that we are in the faithful hands of the risen Christ who knows our weaknesses, tiredness and struggles and whose steadfast love endures for ever.

Above all we recall people to some of the fundamental spiritual disciplines that shape our Christian life. How we do this is up to each congregation and clergy person. We will publish resources to support you before the first day of lockdown. During the first lockdown we cheered for the NHS every Thursday. During this second lockdown we invite you to fast in a way appropriate to you as well as pray for our nation every Thursday, for its leaders, its health and essential services and all those who suffer.”

The Archbishops, in consultation with the House of Bishops, decided that this call would take the form of an invitation to every Christian and person of good will to pray at 6pm every day, beginning this Thursday 5 November for the period of this present lockdown. In order to stimulate this time of prayer, where it is possible, churches are encouraged to ring a single bell at 6pm.

The Archbishops promised some resources in the form of different styles of written prayers with a particular thematic focus for prayer each day.

The weblink to the resources is https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches/call-prayer-nation .

In addition, please find here a direct link to a simple printable prayer booklet - Prayer Booklet , or view it below.

This material is intended simply as one tool to enable participation - the hope is that individuals and worshipping communities make these times of prayer their own. There is no desire to be directive in this – rather simply to encourage all to be united in Prayer for the Nation.

Update on church opening during November lockdown

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 18:40:05 GMT

The latest rulings on our church services and activities

We have been so pleased to be able to open our church for some services and prayer over recent months; however, with the coronavirus restrictions imposed by the Government in a national lockdown, from 5th November we will need to stop our services for the time being - until we are allowed to resume them.

Until further notice, St Michael’s will remain open only for:

funerals
private prayer each week, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10am – 11am.

Usual track and trace, COVID-19 precautions and social distancing still need to be observed during the above.

Importantly, do not enter the building if you have any of the following symptoms:

a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

We hope you will join us in praying with Bishop Rachel and the Diocese in a daily time of prayer at 6pm.

' For 28 days starting this Thursday people across the country will be committing to pray every evening at 6pm (you might choose a different time and schools will be encouraged to pray during the day). User-friendly resources are being produced and there will be a different theme for each day of the week.

Cathedrals will ring their bells at 6pm as a call to prayer and if you have the capacity to ring a church bell at 6pm then please do join in. Phone alarms can also be effective!

Children and adults alike might like to switch on a torch as prayer is offered – a reminder of the light shining in the darkness. Amid our lament and hope; longing and trust, we will proclaim that we are held in the unchanging love of God who hears our cries and walks with us through both our laughter and tears – God is with us.'

Read Bishop Rachel's full letter to churches here .

PCC Members and Churchwardens Appointed

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 20:39:04 GMT

Details of who was appointed at our 2020 APCM

The APCM went off without a hitch on Saturday 17th October (thanks to an a lot of planning and preparation behind the scenes). We were delighted to have successfully held our first APCM via video link as well as welcoming attendees into the church. Thank you to those who attended and assisted with this meeting.

We would like to confirm the memberships to our Churchwarden team and our Parochial Church Council (PCC), as voted in.

Churchwardens

We are pleased to announce our new Churchwardens as Ann Jessop and Andrew Young. Please pray for them as they begin their new role. We would also like to thank Nigel Bennett for the 6 years of service he gave to the life of our church. May God bless you all over the next year.

PCC

We are pleased to announce our full list of PCC members:

Rev. Richard Reakes

James Hall

Ro Hunt

Kathryn Lea

Tony Dixon

John Donovan

Dan Snape

Linda Hall

Mary Hughes

We welcome four new PCC members:

Emma Meadows

Mal Shaw

Zoe Homes

Maureen Hazell

Deanery Synod Reps (also on PCC)

Bob Sims

Louise Titley

Sue Blakey (New to Synod and PCC)

We would like to also thank PCC members who have now stood down: Debs Waterhouse, Sally Kitchener and Ken Davey (who was also on Deanery Synod).

We ask that you please keep our PCC and Churchwardens in your prayers.

APCM 2020 Notice – Saturday 17th October

Sat, 03 Oct 2020 15:13:30 GMT

Official notice of St Michael's APCM Meeting

The APCM is to be held at 4pm in person at church OR online via Zoom on 17th October. Please download the Annual Parochial Church Meeting Report booklet containing all relevant information for our upcoming meeting, together with the 2019 Audited Accounts . The booklet contains information about the election of Churchwardens at the Annual Meeting of the Parish (AMP) as well as the Agenda for the APCM and the Statutory Reports.

Our APCM is open to all the members of our church. During this time of COVID, we face very different challenges, alongside many of the usual ones in the use of our resources, etc., so PCC continues to play an important decision-making role.

Attendance

You will be able to attend the APCM either ‘in person’ in a socially distanced way at the church at 4pm, or online via Zoom.

If you can attend by Zoom, please do so, so that those without access to Zoom can attend in person.

We have moved the time of the meeting forward to 4pm so that we can meet in daylight hours.

If COVID restrictions remain as they currently are, we will have approximately 55 places available in church. We will have 100 places available on Zoom, so we should have capacity for everyone.

To be eligible to attend either in person or online, you should be a resident of our parish, or on our electoral roll and consider yourself a member of our church family. Should we be overwhelmed with applications, priority will be given to those whose names are on the electoral roll.

Only members of our electoral roll can vote at our APCM for PCC members (should we need to). Voting for churchwardens is open to anyone resident in the parish or on the electoral roll.

Booking a place

We are asking those who wish to attend in person to book a place by completing a form, so that we can keep track of numbers, arrange seats, and fulfil our test and trace obligations.

Forms will be available in church at the service on a Sunday morning, or during any of the times that the church is open for individual prayer, or you can email Angie at admin.stmichael@gmail.com to request one. Forms should be returned to the church office via the secure post box at the St Michael’s Centre and must be completed by 12th October to allow time for processing.

If you wish to attend online, please email the office on admin.stmichael@gmail.com to request a Zoom meeting invitation.

When contacting the office, please make it clear which meeting you wish to attend. You will not be able to attend both.

Elections

We will be holding elections as we do annually for two churchwardens – one of these being the church-life warden to support Malc with the spiritual ministry of the church.

We will also be electing four people to Deanery Synod – these seats are elected every three years. We have a couple of nominations for these roles already, but would be pleased to receive more. For further information on Deanery Synod we can supply a leaflet, or speak to Malc. Being on Deanery Synod gives you an automatic place on PCC.

We also have a few places available on PCC. If you are interested in joining PCC, a leaflet is available from church, or the office can email one out to you to tell you what is involved. Again, we already have a few nominations, but please pray about whether you God is calling you to this ministry.

It is likely that in the shorter-term at least, we will be holding our PCC meetings via Zoom.

Nomination forms

Nomination forms for any of the above vacancies are available as paper copies from church, can be downloaded from the diocesan website https://www.parishresources.org.uk/pccs/apcms/

Completed forms can be returned to the church office via the secure post box. Normally, nomination forms can be submitted up to and including the night of the APCM, but given the way we are running the APCM all nominations MUST be in by 12 noon on Wednesday 14th October.

Reports

We are deliberately keeping the number of reports to a minimum. This isn’t because we aren’t grateful for all the wonderful work that has gone on in the church, but to keep office work, administration and costs to a minimum during this difficult period. As this is technically the APCM that should have been held in April, the reports will focus on the period May ’19 to April ’20. We aim to have some printed copies of the reports available in church. This will also be available in pdf format for those attending virtually. The Financial Statements for the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bishop's Cleeve f or the year ended 31 December 2019 can be viewed here .

And lastly…

Thank you for bearing with us! Organising an APCM that abides by Charity Commission and Church of England rules, includes as many people as possible, while keeping costs down, and involves experimenting with technology - all during a time of pandemic - is tricky.

Update from GrassRoots Rwanda

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 11:32:52 GMT

News and impact report from Shyogwe Diocese

One of our Mission Partners is GrassRoots Rwanda , a charity we support through fundraising, mission visits, promotion and prayer to help a community of people in Rwanda. The Trust specifically supports the work of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda in Shyogwe Diocese . Projects to relieve financial hardship due to poverty include preschool education, building work on churches, hospitals and training centres, supporting health programmes and vocational training. The Trust is Chaired by Peter Muir, a member of St Michael's Church, with his wife, Jill, also a trustee.

Pete has shared his Impact Report with us to tell us about what's been happening at the Trust, in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 appeal

As COVID-19 hit the UK, the Trust sent out an appeal and the response was humbling, raising almost £20,000 for the Bishop to use at his discretion. He initially bought and distributed food to individuals, as food became scarce and expensive. This allowed some immediate transitional help to people while they wait for their own fields to crop. To get churches open sooner, the Bishop also spent money on government hygiene requirements. The impact of getting churches open as soon as possible will allow spiritual support for congregations to restart and allow pastors to receive some income. (In Rwanda, pastors take a percentage of the collection unlike here in the UK.)

Some of the donations were collected through JustGiving and you can donate at: JustGiving Coronavirus Appeal

Support for Dufatanye

During the year, GrassRoots Rwanda subsumed a smaller charity with their own supporters, called Dufatanye , and some money was raised for them alongside the appeal for the Diocese. To the money sent out, they responded: 'We know that, thousands of people in this country are facing staggering unemployment thus finding themselves without access to food, hygiene supplies or health care. Many families are facing great

uncertainty about their long-term financial and physical safety, leading to trauma and emotional distress, substance abuse and domestic violence. But in these challenging times, we find inspiration in your compassion to get urgently needed food where it is needed.'

If you'd like to donate to the Dufatanye appeal, you can do so here: JustGiving Dufatanye Appeal

Supporting families in need

Donations of small amounts of £100 to £300 have been sent to people the Trust knows personally, such as teachers in diocesan schools, and pastors; for them and those around them. Such people have received no income for four months, with no immediate change in view – and don’t have reserves to cover such emergencies.

While the Trust is cautious about such a narrow and scattergun approach, the impact made to those families has been significant in allowing them to buy food, reducing stress, and reminding them that they are not forgotten. One recipient responded: 'I and my whole family are deeply indebted to you, and every trustee for always being there for us. May God bless you. I have collected the money safely. I assure you to use it wisely and fight against the issues of hunger in my family.'

To donate to our general fund to help us support all our giving, please click here: Shyogwe Diocese Main Fund

Reconciling relationships

GrassRoots Rwanda has supported the important work of reconciliation, led by Archdeacon Edward, in bringing together victims and perpetrators of violence who have recently been released from prison after their 25-year sentences. This is at the opposite end of the scale to the COVID-19 help. A small amount has been sent, just £1,000, but they have already seen the impact of this work. It was wonderful to see these people working and worshipping together, but of course the impact of repaired relationships, reduced tension, co-operation between victim and persecutor will carry on for years; and we pray it will impact on future generations as well.

The picture is of victims and persecutors working together in the fields – which would have been unthinkable before the Archdeacon’s intervention. For such a small amount, this targeted project could have the greatest impact of any of the support we provide.

What's next ... ?

As all visits to Rwanda have stopped for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19, but GrassRoots Rwanda would like to thank all of you who have supported them in different ways. The Trust would not exist without your support. Whether you give regularly, or sporadically, the Trust cannot do anything in Rwanda without your help. You are all the lifeblood of the Trust.

But of course, what the Trust does with your money is important. Everything that you give, including the related Gift Aid, goes to Rwanda. The trustees cover the administrative costs personally (e.g. bank transfer costs, monthly fees to use JustGiving , the cost of setting up and maintaining the website among others).

Peter says: 'It is easy to measure outputs such as paying for a flight for diocesan staff, or setting up a tree nursery, or building a health post, but it's much harder to measure outcomes. That is, what has been the outcome of the spending – what is the impact? With little impact, the money has been wasted, irrespective of how ‘worthy’ the project.'

He continues: 'This is the first time we have tried to gauge the impact of how your money has been spent on just a few projects. I would want to do more of this type of analysis in future years. Our next visit has been pencilled in for October 2021. But we do not know if that will be permitted, or just plain reckless! We will need to take travel advice later. But the need does not stop with the visits, and indeed the need increases as COVID-19 spreads through sub-Saharan Africa.

'We will continue to correspond with our friends in Shyogwe and consider the impact of our work on both existing and future projects. The work of a new health post at Gasharu has started, and we are considering a new project around sponsoring children for nursery schools, but more of both of those later.

'As Chairman, I thank you again for your support, as does the whole Trustee Board who continue to meet regularly via Zoom. We will be in touch again soon.

May God bless you and those you love.'

Peter Muir

Chairman

To find out more about GrassRoots Rwanda and our work, or to make a donation, please visit: www.grassrootsrwanda.com

Church opens for private prayer

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 10:34:00 GMT

Mid-week opening begins September 2020

We are pleased to announce that St Michael's is now open for private prayer. We thank everyone for their patience while we have spent time preparing the church and training our stewards .

The church is open for private prayer for one hour on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10am - 11am .

Please wear a face mask and follow the social distancing/hand sanitizing instructions given by the steward.

Please do not attend if you are feeling unwell or have any symptoms (a new cough, temperature or loss of sense of smell or taste).

Check out our Facebook page and this website for regular updates and ways to stay connected.

Free online money management course

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 11:26:24 GMT

Get to grips with your finances - with Acadamoney and J John

During lockdown, Sallie Mumford, our Children & Families Minister, completed a free online course called Acadamoney . This 12-hour course is aimed at adults and run with Open University and Martin Lewis (founder of MoneySavingExpert.com ).

Sallie says: 'Being on furlough, I wanted to give myself a financial MOT, but also in the hope it would better equip me to help others who may not find managing their money easy. I highly recommend the course, as if the coming recession is as bad as predicted, we want to be as wise as possible in our finances, while remaining generous.'

While the idea of a course about finances may sound daunting to some, Sallie was surprised at how easy it was to follow and quick to work out aspects of her own finances. 'The Acadamoney course was very practical in that it made me check my credit score, get my pension forecast (all achievable in under 60 seconds!), help me understand my financial personality, and made me recalculate my tax and NI on my pay slip to check they were right, which they were!'

Sallie says she considered herself a fairly savvy spender before doing the course, but she still learned some really useful ways to cut costs and save money. At the end of the course is a test and you are given a certificate to download when you have passed.

However, this is only half the picture ...

Many of you will be familiar with the tenth Commandment - Do not covet, about how focusing on what others have diminishes our ability to appreciate the good things in our lives. J John, a UK international evangelist and author, reminds us in his talk on Commandment No. 10, that if you have food in the fridge, clothes on your back and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the people in the world . A humbling statistic. Yet many of us in the 25% are in debt or struggle to make ends meet.

Sallie adds: 'J John gives great money management advice, referring to what Jesus said about money, and some sound scriptural principles. So this is a 'must do' watch in conjunction with the Acadamoney course to get the complete picture, and it's quite funny too.'

Watch the short talk here: Week 1 - Find Contentment

If you have any queries about the course, Sallie will be happy to help. You can contact her at: sallie.mumford@gmail.com or via Church Office .

Back in the building!

Sun, 23 Aug 2020 11:02:44 GMT

New-look church service at St Michael's

Last week saw the first of our church services held in St Michael's Church since lockdown started back in March. This week we held our second service, at 9.30am. It was a peaceful, reflective time together. Around 30 people attended in total including our team, our capacity at the moment being limited to 40 so there was plenty of space.

People were greeted at the door by one of our trained stewards, in a mask, who directed them to the hand sanitising station and collected their contact details for Track & Trace reporting. Social distancing tape marks out the floor and indicates the one-way system.

Each person or couple were directed to a seat by another steward. The seating area has been set out to adhere to social distancing guidelines and as you can see, offers each person plenty of space and good views.

The 30-minute service included two songs played on a CD, and we heard a Bible passage and short talk by Kathryn Lea, who led the service. The congregation joined in with responses and prayers throughout the service, before being shown out by the steward through the West door, where we also have placed our offering table (where we can accept either cash or card for any offerings that are made).

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we discern how to open up more fully. If you have any specific queries about our services, please email admin.stmichael@gmail.com

'Just Be' - 24 hours of prayer

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 11:11:10 GMT

Sunday, 6th September 2020

On Sunday 6th September, we are holding another 24 hours of prayer. The time will be split into one-hour segments and prayer topics, if needed, will be offered.

Some of you would have taken part in the last event in May. Please consider taking part in this one. As we speak, more prayer is going into the work of God at St Michael's.

During the lockdown period we have seen a six-fold increase in the prayer meetings. This is not a thing of pride because we need more. Hence this prayer event.

If you would like to join us please email: stmichaelsprayerchain@outlook.com stating the hour of your choice.

Thank you,

Ian Drake

St Michael's Prayer Ministry

Churchwarden update

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 11:37:54 GMT

Lots happening behind the scenes at St Michael's

Although the church has been closed to the public, there's been lots happening in the background where possible. Here, Churchwarden Ann Jessop has provided updates on some of the activities in July alone that have helped keep things ticking over (quite literally with our beloved church clock which has been awaiting repair for some time), and making sure we are ready to open up for services.

Church clock on the mend

Matt from Smith of Derby brought back our skillfully repaired great wheel from the chiming train. Everything is back in its place, repaired, serviced, maintained, chiming, showing the time. Thank you Bishop's Cleeve Parish Council. The CALO grant from the Council paid for this long-awaited repair. Unfortunately, it does not mean that the bellringers can ring the bells again, yet. The space in the tower is too enclosed and it is not possible to keep a social distance.

Summer sort out and spruce

Ro and Tony deserved an ice cream after digging in the hot sun a few weeks ago, helping to tidy our garden areas. Marc, Helen and Fee came in to sort and clean the creche toys ready for them to be stored in our newly built cupboards in the South Transept by Gary, the joiner. Church will look different next time you go in, with 2m spacing. Andy has been tidying the edges in the churchyard and, back inside, Kathryn's keyboard has been repaired by a very skilful Dan.

Cleaning and tidying in readiness to open

Recent grass cutting produced a heap of hay and Ro organised its removal to a green destination. It was also time for the church Welcome desk to have a big sort out. John Donovan cleaned and restored all our limed oak cupboards. The AV system is still a work in progress and Derek, the installer, is up in his tower. Jane produced an elegant flower display for a recent funeral and then delivered the blooms to some members of our congregation. St Michael's is getting ready to be COVID-19 safe so be ready to see these floor signs and arrows when you go in.

Update from Rev Malc

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 12:13:28 GMT

Malc’s Message to church family, 4th August 2020

Hello lovely Church Family,

I hope this letter finds you in relatively good heart. I pray for you all every day that wherever you are, you will know the presence of God. And that he is strengthening you as you live for Him at this time.

STRANGE TIMES

We find ourselves in very strange times indeed. For months now we have been unable to meet together. We miss greeting one another on Sundays, worshipping the Lord together, welcoming guests, singing, sharing coffee and cake, praying, laughing and crying together. You may have felt this very keenly.

BUT WE’VE BEEN ONLINE

But like so many churches we have been very active online. It’s been a steep learning curve. I went from having done nothing live online, to a few days later streaming from my study and hoping it would all work. I have since delivered 21 Sunday talks on Facebook, and I have had to become tech-savvy with being online with Facebook, hosting various Zoom meetings, including leading the Alpha Course! All this was brand new to me.

STAFF ON FURLOUGH

Our staff, Angie, Fran, Sallie and Melinda, all went on furlough. This meant handling all my own email and admin. So like many Vicars, I became head of technology, admin & broadcasting, and often chaired the “What on earth is happening and what do we do?!” meetings that arose out of many people’s concerns. I’m thankful that Angie has now returned!

YOU WANT MORE?

Some of you will have seen lots of whizzy online Sunday presentations from other churches, and maybe feel we could do more. We did try some extra ideas of having more people online live, but the tech + my often poor wi-fi didn’t make for a good experience. Also, we don’t have someone techy available like other churches do, who can use their skill and time to discuss, format, edit & publish more whizzy stuff. But we do have some ideas to try and slowly develop things.

ONLINE & OFFLINE COMMUNICATION

It has been a real joy to connect with lots of you online, and the many people from our wider community who have joined our Facebook Group. We have gone from around 300 online members to around 550 over this period! We’ve used Zoom for PCC, Life Groups, Prayer meetings, pastoral meetings, Alpha Course, Communication Team, Urban Saints, Sunday coffee and chat. We spent some time sending regular email info to as many people we could who weren’t accessing Facebook etc.

SO HOW ARE YOUR CLERGY?

All the above has meant that life for me personally has been very full on. A while back, on a Zoom meeting with some 100s of clergy, we were polled on a variety of issues. Answers showed that over the period of lockdown the majority of clergy, although having started with lots of energy, were now very tired. Most of us hadn’t had a holiday. I personally didn’t get a full day off for weeks. With my colleague Rev. Richard Reakes we, have at times, been inundated with funerals. At one point I had 6 on the go at the same time… Richard has had similar… a very sad time. The good news is that Richard and I are very well supported in our weekly Church Leadership Team Meetings. We are looking forward to time off in the weeks ahead.

Amidst lots of activity, we do recognise that not everyone will have felt as in touch as they would have liked. And so, I apologise if you have not felt included, or felt you’ve not heard from me. If this is you, please feel free to contact me via 01242 677851 or malc.rector@gmail.com . I am grateful to the many of you who are able to be in touch with others and care for one another. Our Life Groups are proving invaluable in this respect.

SADNESS AT WHAT’S LOST – BUT HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

We are in an in-between time as church. We have left behind much of what we knew so well, including our regular service pattern. Maybe crisis is not too strong a word. A crisis in our own individual lives can help us ask very important questions: What is it I really believe about God? Who I am? Is Jesus Lord? Is God faithful? In this storm, this crisis… on what has my trust in God been based? Is it on the teaching of Jesus (the house built on the rock), or something less (the house on the sand – Matthew 7: 24-27)?

We are praying to God to renew our faith, our love for him, our sense of mission.

And leading us He is. Digital church has opened wider the ‘entrance’ to our faith and life together. And so, we will not be leaving behind our Live Streaming for a while yet. We don’t know what church life will look like in a few more months.

But we are hopeful, and expectant, because God is with us. His presence is everything. God is faithful. He will not leave us.

GOOD NEWS – BACK INTO OUR BUILDING

Sunday worship in our building begins again on 16th August @ 9.30am. We can seat 40 people – whoever turns up first (but bear in mind the story from last Sunday! – Luke 14: 7-11!). So, kindness and grace please! The service will be 30 mins long, without singing and without Holy Communion yet. Face masks will have to be worn as well. We are conscious that not everyone wants to return to worship together just yet for a range of reasons. Our Coronavirus rules and guidelines are frustrating to some, comforting for others.

The three August Sundays will be led by different people including Sallie Mumford and Kathryn Lea (Lay Readers) and Malc.

We also look forward to opening the church building for private prayer soon.

And so, I pray for grace and patience between us over these next few months. Let’s be equipped together in the ‘armour of God’ (Eph. 6: 10-20) with which we will be able to stand our ground against the devil’s schemes.

May God graciously bless us all.

Rev. Malc Allen (Team Rector)

St Michael & All Angels Church

Attending a service during COVID-19

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 11:49:39 GMT

New guidelines for visiting our church building

It is good that we can gather in the presence of God and one another, and that we can offer opportunities for private prayer and limited public worship. Things will and have to be different, but those things that have always united us remain the same, and that is what we celebrate. Making these changes allows us to worship together and is our gift to one another.

Before you arrive

Do you have any symptoms?

Please consider your own risk of attending an indoor gathering. If you are unsure, there is NHS guidance.

We ask you NOT to attend a service if you have:

• A new cough

• A temperature

• Lost your sense of smell or taste

Seating is limited

In order to maintain social distancing and because the church is undergoing works which make some areas unusable, seats are limited and you may be asked to remain outside in the open air if numbers wishing to attend exceed the seating limits.

Track and Trace

Please bring with you a piece of paper with your name and telephone number on (in block capitals) and also the details of anyone else who is accompanying you and place in the box provided. These may be needed by NHS Track and Trace if someone from the service later develops coronavirus. The details will only be used for that purpose and will be securely held and disposed of after 21 days.

When you arrive

For those with mobility issues

Please note that as people will be gathering outside in socially distant groups or lines, it will not be possible to safely drive up to the main church door to allow those with limited mobility to access the church that way. Instead, we suggest you park nearby and use a wheelchair. If it is easier, you could temporarily park in the turning circle at the main gate and use a wheelchair but you would then need to go back and park the car in a designated parking place so as not to cause an obstruction in the turning circle.

Keep your distance

The doors will be open 15 minutes prior to the service starting. If you need to wait outside, please be sure to keep 2m distance between you/your bubble and others.

Sanitise your hands

You will be asked to sanitise your hands in the porch area, put on your mask and place your track and trace information in the box provided just inside church, on the Welcome Desk. Then go immediately to available seating which is arranged in ones, twos and threes – 2m apart.

Face coverings

In line with Government and Church of England guidelines , you are required to wear a face covering in church. They are not a replacement for good social distancing and hand hygiene (or self- isolating if you have symptoms) and we are reminded that we wear them to protect one another; so please bring your face covering with you and put it on before entering church. We acknowledge that, for medical reasons, there may be some who are unable to wear a face covering.

No wandering around the church

Please resist the temptation to go over and join friends you see at a distance. A joyful wave of greeting will suffice – we all wish it were different but the social distancing measure is a key strategy in limiting transmission of the virus. Weather permitting, doors will be left open to allow for improved air flow.

During the service

Orders of Service

The words for the service will be on a sheet of paper and this will be on the seat when you arrive. Please take this sheet away with you when you leave.

Singing

Due to the risk of droplet spread, there will be no congregational singing although there may be occasions where 1 person sings from a distance or there may be recorded music used during the service.

Holy Communion

There will be no communion services in the immediate future but this remains under review as we see how Covid-19 prevention measures generally are working.

When you leave

Please wait for the Steward to motion you to leave. People will be asked to leave one row at a time, exiting the building via the West door (double doors at the back of church) starting at the back row, thereby limiting the need for people to walk past one another in the aisle.

Thank you in advance for anything you can give financially at this time and thank you also to all those who continue to support us via the Parish Giving Scheme – this continues to be vital to enable us to plan for the future. At the back of church, there will be a collection plate for cash or cheques and also a contactless donation point.

Please take your Order of Service home with you.

Please do not stop and chat while leaving the building and do not obstruct the West door exit. Once you are out of the building you are, of course, welcome to talk in small groups but please remember to be ‘socially distant’ and abide by the prevailing Government guidance with regard to numbers and households.

If you subsequently test positive

If you test positive for the coronavirus up to three weeks after the service, please let us know by emailing admin.stmichael@gmail.com

We are not people of fear; we are people of courage. We are not people who protect our own safety; we are people who protect our neighbours’ safety. We are not people of greed; we are people of generosity. We are your people, God, giving and loving, wherever we are, whatever it costs, for as long as it takes, wherever you call us. Amen (Barbara Glasson, President of the Methodist Conference)

Published 4th August 2020 V1

What God taught me about myself on sabbatical

Mon, 02 Oct 2017 16:17:04 GMT

A summary from Rev. Malc on his sabbatical over summer

Firstly, and importantly, my sabbatical allowed me the time to slow down to be with God.

Being away from the day-to-day parish ministry enabled me to see how active I had been ‘doing things for God’.

Much of this I hope was good work!

And I like ‘doing’.

But a major thing I heard God say through prayer, scripture and other people, was… “slow down and let me sort out your inner life”.

I suppose I was giving 80% of my time to ‘doing’, and 20% maximum to just ‘being’. I know that I can function like that. I have loads of energy and enthusiasm… but it’s hard to sustain, and it might not bring about lasting fruit.

Time away on retreat and reading books such as the often recommended 'Emotionally Healthy Leader' have helped me see how important it is that my ‘being’ (my inner life) is more important than, and precedes, my ‘doing’ (my outer life).

“God opened my eyes to see that I was a human being, not a human doing.”

“ When we devote ourselves to reaching the world for Christ while ignoring our own emotional and spiritual health, our leadership is short-sighted at best” .

The Emotionally Healthy Leader: Peter Scazzero

Both the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ Malc sought God’s loving transformation, but getting the order right became an important thing for me whilst on sabbatical.

Through reading and prayer and fellowship, I heard how God wants a loving, deepening relationship with me first … before any ‘ministry’ I may be gifted in. It was as though I was hearing that the best I can offer to people in life and ministry is the quality of my own relationship with God, and the quality of my relationship with myself.

That might sound a bit strange. But space and time to slow down with God did involve God going down into the basement and back rooms of my life! What we found there we examined together. Understanding how and why we react to circumstances and people around us the way we do is connected to our emotional health.

For me, bringing things into the open before God - my fears and worries - wasn’t always easy. But it was healing and liberating. I felt so much more of God’s amazing love for me personally. And I felt stronger because of it. Sorting out inner emotions and issues can lead to growing up spiritually.

And so I felt sabbatical allowed me the space to do this.

I was challenged and blessed.

I feel a greater sense of wanting to honour and please God. I want to take the time in the day-to-day to be transformed by the very truths I look to share with others. As someone has said, “Your being with God (or lack of being with God) will trump, eventually, your doing for God every time. We cannot give what we do not possess. We cannot help but give what we do possess."

Since returning to St Michael's, I have felt a deeper sense of God’s grip on my life, and an inner peace and sense of his presence that I hope will remain! I feel more able to listen to God and pace myself and my work to His leading and plans!

I came back to life and ministry in Bishop’s Cleeve with much joy and love for our church family here. I look forward to working with others to help transform lives through Christ’s love.

Malc

New Wine 2017

ultimateproof@blueyonder.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 11:46:02 GMT

Highlights from St Michael's following United 17

Earlier this month, several members of our church community attended the New Wine United 2017 conference. For those of you who don't know, New Wine is a movement of churches working together to change the nation through a network of church leaders, summer conferences, training events and resources. Each year, a group of us pitch up their tents alongside thousands of other Christians for a week of worship and spiritual development.

Here, they've captured some of their highlights of the week:

Dan

This was our fourth visit to New Wine (that's myself, my wife, Sarah, and our two children, Joseph and Lily). It was by far the coldest and wettest but it made me realise a number of things about why the weather really doesn't matter:

You don't need good weather particularly when you have as much equipment as we did - tent extensions, shelters, brollies and wellies.

The fresh food and drink you have doesn't go off as quickly.
We were in seminars undercover a lot.
A New Wine leader said, 'Pilgrimage is never meant to be easy.'
When you're at New Wine, all things are done in Jesus’ name, the more you think about it, the more humbled you feel.
You realise that you're sort of addicted to the calling from the Holy Spirit for more, regardless of whether it's comfy/idyllic or not.
If it stops raining you are really grateful!
When we arrived, we were a little disappointed to be camped at the top of the hill at the furthest point from the main arena and conference area. The higher ground turned out to be a real blessing in the rain!

Highlights for me:

The two main worship groups in the arena never disappointed, led by Nick Herbert and Chris Sayburn. They followed the Holy Spirit mixing upbeat worship with reflective pauses for an uprising outpour of melodies from the audience. The best one for me was the rising up of 'You are good, good, ohhhhh' from King of my heart, John McMillan.
The main morning speaker was a guy called John Marc Comer from Oregon. An incredible author, extremely witty with whom I could easily connect as he was so normal yet super intelligent. He spoke about how to intentionally change to ensure spiritual growth. He discussed the importance of a Sabbath whenever you can fit it in and not necessarily a Sunday. He suggested listening the routine of your day across a week in order to spot the trends and doing a habit swap to include something Jesus would have done instead.
The children's groups never fail to amaze. Joseph spoke about Rwanda to his year group (800 10- and 11-year-olds) on the opening night and came away from the week literally buzzing about the fun he'd had. Lily was also soaking everything in and keen to go back next year.
After the evening worship and talk, we went to several late-night events - a comedy magician, a film night where we watched Hidden Figures, a pub quiz and a disco party celebrating each year of pop from 1960-2017! The kids were absolutely shattered!

I've put together a playlist of the songs at this year's event...

Maria

This was the Line family's fifth New Wine, and for all of us it is a time to have fun, learn, be together and do our own thing. Edward had his Rock Solid group every morning and evening, leaving me free to enjoy the worship and seminars. He loves it - with sport, drama, worship, stories, arts, crafts... so much to do! In the afternoon he played with Rebecca and other friends who camped with us.

Richard had seminars and worship, and hung out with friends from previous years, and made new ones.

Fran was 'on team', volunteering in the children's Stomping Ground. They fed her too, so we rarely saw her!

This year, the weather was a challenge, but so much of New Wine is inside. The morning worship series of talks by John Mark Comer really spoke to us all this year, and I have already made changes in the way I live my life to the full for Jesus. With 14,000 Christians in one place, the Holy Spirit is everywhere. I usually find I 'hear/see' God at New Wine, and it shapes my year ahead. This year was no exception!

Deborah

The highs for me was the worship! Praising God with over 1,000 Christians, it was an awesome experience...

I loved all the worship places for different reasons. Followed by my daily dose of John Mark Cromer... I loved his talk on the Sabbath and dreams. He was very real and honest, an intelligent man with a touch of humour.

I also heard our own Bishop Rachel for the first time which was refreshing. I also loved going to Wells Cathedral with some camping buddies on our midweek ‘day off’.

On Friday, our friend Jo made a surprise visit to St Michael’s tent, which was lovely. Bits that weren't so great were the mud, the rain, and the showers! But on the whole it went well with my soul.

P.S. if you don't like camping There's always bed and breakfast!

Donna

John Mark Comer achieved a first in my three years at New Wine ... usually the St Michael's adults start the week together at the arena but we lose one or more to the other venues, depending on how well the speaker attracts (not the right word, but you get the idea) the different traditions we are from. This year, we started and ended the week together as he spoke to each and every one of us.

If you'd like to join us for New Wine 2018, please contact Church Office.

Malc arrives in Canada!

ultimateproof@blueyonder.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 21:12:10 GMT

Malc Allen sends a sabbatical update

I’ve recently arrived in Vancouver, Canada, for a very special part of my sabbatical time, but I wanted to give you a taste of what I’ve been up to over the last few weeks… apart from some really good reading and reflecting!

I’ve walked with very good friends on the Dorset coast which included the amazing Durdle Dor.

Carrie-Ann and I went to very good couples retreat at St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in North Wales . It was an opportunity to take stock and look forward, with God, to the future. St Beuno's was a wonderful place of peace and beauty run by the Jesuits. We met some lovely people there. pathwaystogod.org

I then went on a three-day silent retreat at Mucknell Abbey in Worcestershire. This is a community of Benedictine men and women. This retreat allowed me space to read, walk and reflect. Each day was punctuated by worship with the community in the chapel in the round. It was a little higher in style than I expected - the smell of that incense! - but it was such a refreshing experience. mucknellabbey.org.uk

I also went on a weekend retreat to Lee Abbey, set on the beautiful coast near Lynmouth, North Devon. Here, I heard teaching, worship and meet some lovely new people.

The one time I put my ‘dog-collar’ on was to act as one of the roving chaplains for the Church of England tent at The 3 Counties Show at Malvern. I loved meeting lots of farmers and chatting to them about their lives. A real privilege.

As you may know, running is very important to me. Not only do I love the exercise of running on trails and hills, it is a great way for me to be with God. So I’ve been able to do a bit more, and do some races.

So, now I’m in Vancouver for some time at Summer School at the fantastic Regent College ( regent-college.edu ). The first week’s course is 'Reading Paul missionally'.

Here’s the Course Description - Paul’s letters are marked above all by a passion for mission. In our own time, as in Paul’s, followers of Christ are called to participate in the mission of God not only speaking good news but also embodying it. This course will examine the ways in which the good news takes missional shape in the Pauline letters, growing into the practices of faithfulness, reconciliation, justice, and enemy-love.

Here are a couple of quick videos giving you a tour of my surroundings. I hope you've enjoyed this brief update, I'm looking forward to seeing what this trip brings!

Shyogwe Six share memories of Rwanda

kelly@ultimateproof.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Sat, 24 Jun 2017 22:34:11 GMT

Wednesday, 14 June saw around 50 people attend a presentation by our Mission group - the 'Shyogwe Six' - recounting their recent fortnight trip to Shyogwe in Rwanda. The 'Six' consisted of: Peter Muir and his wife, Jill - Trustees; Sarah Parkes and her son, Joseph; and Maria Line and her daughter, Fran - all members of St Michael's.

The evening was opened by Peter, Treasurer of the David Dale Shyogwe Trust, the charity set up to fund initiatives in the area. Peter gave us an interesting insight into the history of Rwanda, particularly since the 1994 Genocide that saw up to 1 million Tutsis and Hutus killed over a 10-week period of slaughter. As a result, the country's population is made up of mostly young people - with those age 15 and under making up 43% of the 11.3 million population. This is important to know because it has impacted the futures of the people who, without elders, have lost basic knowledge and skills such as farming, building and even parenting. So much of what we take for granted is desperately needed by the Rwandan people, yet they are a hopeful community that sings and worships and strives for a better future.

Maternal Care
Jill explained the work of the Mothers' Union, a vital group that teaches women parenting and life skills, and the spin-off group, Healthy Mums Project, which operates in the poorer areas to support young mothers. The Mission group took out bundles of knitted clothes and blankets which they distributed to groups like these, and they were gratefully received. "It was moving to see how much they appreciated being remembered by people in the West," said Jill.

Education
Sarah spoke about the Zion Education Centre, a private school run by the church. Private schools in Rwanda are the opposite to the ones in the UK, with minimal equipment and no books. The school is funded by the parents, who are themselves poor; the government-supported schools can afford to have a little (although not much) more. The team donated footballs and ruler calculators to the children, and were particularly humbled by the 'Victorian' conditions at the school and the hard work and dedication of the eight teachers there. "We only had enough calculator rulers for one between two children, which back here would no doubt cause an argument, but they were just so happy to be given something that they happily shared them."

Thanks to fundraising before their trip, the team had £3,000 to donate to the Trust, which they decided to give to Zion Education Centre, to pay for textbooks. The next priority is to rebuild toilet facilities (which are far more basic than anything we know), which will cost £2,000 in total.

Football
Next, Joseph, age 11, gave an entertaining talk about football in Shyogwe and how he replaced the children's 'rubbish balls' (literally made of rubbish and string) with brand-new footballs. It's no surprise that he was very popular while he was out there!

Compassion Project
Fran, age 14, then told us about the work of the Compassion Project, which is a Christian-run organisation which helps to sponsor children to give them an opportunity to gain an education and work skills. If you'd like to sponsor a child in Rwanda, or anywhere in the world, see the Compassion Project website .

Special Needs
Maria moved everyone with her recount of visiting the special school for disabled children. The school was rarely visited by parents or others, the children almost forgotten and, while the teachers cared deeply for their pupils, the conditions were pitiful. When shown the children's dormitory, Maria described seeing the 50 bunk beds crammed into a room which was overpoweringly smelly, the mattresses all stained and soiled. By writing a post on Facebook about this the same day, people back home following their mission offered to donate the cost of a mattress (£25 each) and, within 36 hours, £2,500 was raised! It was quite something and the team were delighted to be able to tell the Headmistress that they had the money to replace every child's mattress.

Agriculture
Maria went on to describe the work of Amos, the area's Rural Dean, who is setting up organic tree plantations to help provide food, nutritious soil and skills to help reeducate farmers in the area. This is vital work towards helping to build a sustainable future for the people in Shyogwe and each sapling costs £1, and this is another area that the Trust would like to support with fundraising (see below).

It's natural to assume that only part of donated money goes to the actual people who need it. However, with the David Dale Shyogwe Trust, all the administration, travel and expenses are self-funded by the eight trustees, who take it in turns to visit the area (around two visits per year). They also closely monitor all the spending, ensure it is prioritised and visit areas to see how the money has been used.

This was a moving and thought-provoking presentation, and there was an opportunity to buy crafts that the team had brought back from Rwanda, which included everything from trinkets to handbags and ornaments. Thanks to the generous support of the attendees, another £275 was raised towards the work of the Trust.

If you would like to find out more about the Trust, please see this website: www. daviddaleshyogwetrust.org

If you would like to buy a sapling for the tree plantation, please donate to this Justgiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Peter-Muir6

If you would like to support work on the toilets at Zion Hill Education Centre, please donate to this Justgiving page .

The Mission Team would like to thank everyone for their contributions and support, seeing the money in action was a useful way to connect the pounds with the people (mostly young) who will benefit from it.

Teddy Bear Parachute Jump draws crowds at the Bishop's Cleeve Street Fair

kelly@ultimateproof.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 13:37:52 GMT

Mike the Knight sails to victory!

Sunday 11 June 2017 saw the annual Bishop's Cleeve Street Fair here in our wonderful village.

Every year, we invite people to enter teddy bears (or any stuffed toy!) into the Teddy Bear Parachute Jump. Designs are left to the entrants, and we have two prizes: for best jump and best design. At just £1 per entry, we saw the launch of a whopping 74 teddies off the church roof. The money raised goes straight to the Bishop's Cleeve Street Fair to support the funding of next year's event.

We were blessed with a beautifully warm afternoon with a gusty breeze, which seemed to go in most of the jumpers' favours! It took nearly an hour to launch all 74 bears off the roof, each given a fantastic introduction by our compare, Robey. Most bears made it to the ground without mishap, although poor 'Super Penguin' has yet to be retrieved from a tall tree in a garden behind the church!

We saw entries of all shapes and sizes, but our biggest entrant was 'Basil the Bomber' with a huge Ikea bag parachute (pictured above).

Another impressive jumper was 'Bumpy Dog', which travelled all the way from Mansfield, Notts, to jump in support of a local hospice charity.

Another notable entry was our oldest competitor, 'Bunny', a 30-year-old teddy jumping for the first time this year and we're glad had a safe journey down to the ground!

We think every teddy did brilliantly, but, after much deliberation, the judges decided the overall winners were:
'Mike the Knight' who won the prize for 'best jump' and one of the Brownie's bears won the prize for the 'best parachute'.

This is always such a fun family event and it wouldn't happen without all the support from some fantastic people and the local community. We'd particularly like to thank:

our organisers, Andrew & Marion Young
our parachute jump launchers, Mat Bevan and Rick Arnold
our fantastic compere, Robey Jenkins
the Brownies' teddy retrieval and medical assistance team (thankfully, no teddies were hurt during the event!)
our judging panel
our churchwarden team for their support and advice
local shops for helping promote the event by displaying our posters
the small 'army' of helpers in the Church Cafe for their excellent hospitality keeping the coffee and cake flowing!

We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did; we can't wait to see your entries next year!

Trussell Trust National Conference

kelly@ultimateproof.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Wed, 07 Jun 2017 16:30:47 GMT

CAP joins forces with The Trussell Trust

Representatives of the North Cotswold Foodbank, Philip Cule and Rhian Morgan, attended The Trussell Trust National Conference Update held in Birmingham on 17 May 2017.

The keynote address was from John Kirkby, founder of Christians Against Poverty (CAP) who talked about the growth in CAP services since it was founded. There are now 20,000 people a year seeking help and wanting to be released from a life of debt, unemployment, addiction, hunger and poverty.

John said, “Be generous in spirit as the world gets larger. Charity yields a high return. Don’t just sit there watching the wind. Do your own work helping others. Don’t stare at the clouds; get on with your life.”

You never know...

Just maybe...

The next...

...will become a life changer.

To read more about the conference update, please see the CAP blog post - CAP joins forces with The Trussell Trust to help more people in crisis

Please see our Mission Partners page to find out more about our mission work at the North Cotswold Foodbank and how you can get involved.

We love to hear your news!
Do you have some news or information you'd like to share with us on the blog? Email us with your idea or text and we'll help you pull it together.

Thy Kingdom Come - Pledge2Pray

kelly@ultimateproof.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Thu, 18 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Between 25th May and 4th June, communities and churches around the world are gathering together to pray that their friends, families and neighbours come to know Jesus Christ.

Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement, which invites Christians around the world to pray between Ascension and Pentecost for more people to come to know Jesus Christ. What started out as an invitation from the Archbishops’ of Canterbury and York in 2016 to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer.

The hope is that:

people will commit to pray with God’s worldwide family - as a church, individually or as a family;
churches will hold prayer events, such as 24-7 prayer, prayer stations and prayer walks, across the UK and in other parts of the world;
people will be empowered through prayer by the Holy Spirit, finding new confidence to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.

What are we doing at St Michael's?

On Saturday, 27 May, we are holding a group Prayer Walk. This is open to everyone, young or old. Meet us at St Michael's Church for 9am.

On Saturday, 3 June, we are holding a Day of Prayer in St Michael's Church, from 9am to 3.30pm. Again, this is open to everyone.

How can I get involved?

Prayer walk near you - There is a sign-up sheet in St Michael's listing all the roads in Bishop's Cleeve and Woodmancote. Simply put your name next to your own road or any that you'd like to pray for. Then, each day, walk along the road and pray for the people living and working there, or you can pray from home if you are unable to get out. Please d ownload the advice and tips sheet on how to get the best out of your walk or view them on the website .
Pray for 5 friends or family members to know God .
Pray through the Daily Reflections 'Nine Days of Prayer' Booklet.
Pray with your Small Group .
Pray in your youth group (Wha+ever).
Pop in to church and pray (see ChurchWatch for opening times - w/c 29th May is Week 1 rota).
Pray at home, individually or as a family. There are lots of excellent resources for praying as an individual or family on the Thy Kingdom Come website.

What to pray
You can pray however you wish, but here's an example to help you:

Loving Father,
In the face of Jesus Christ
your light and glory have blazed forth.
Send your Holy Spirit that I may share with my friends [N. & N.]
the life of your Son and your love for all.
Strengthen me as a witness to that love
as I pledge to pray for them,
for your name’s sake. Amen.

Share your prayer #Pledge2Pray
You can use social media to 'Pray It – Picture It – Post It' on the Thy Kingdom Come website prayer wall. If you want to get your images ready in advance, here's a list of the themes. Remember to use images and phrases that resonate with #Pledge2Pray and:

25 May #ToJesus
26 May #Praise
27 May #Thanks
28 May #Sorry
29 May #Offer
30 May #PrayFor
31 May #Help
1 June #Adore
2 June #Celebrate
3 June #Silence
4 June #ThyKingdomCome

Just use #Pledge2Pray and a hashtag for the prayer of the day. Make sure there is a space between the tags, for example: #Pledge2Pray #ToJesus.

On Facebook, go to the ThyKingdomCome page and post to the Timeline using #Pledge2Pray and the tag of the day, for example #Pledge2Pray #Celebrate. Make sure your post is set to 'public', or we can’t see it!

Visit: www.instagram.com/Pledge2Pray
Visit: www.twitter.com/thykingdom_come
Visit: www.facebook.com/ThyKingdomComeUK

Please email our Prayer Chain if you would like more information, see our page on Praying Together , or visit thykingdomcom.global

Rev. Richard's Recommended Reads

kelly@ultimateproof.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Fri, 12 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Our vicar, Richard Reakes, is a prolific reader and shares with us some of his favourite books this year so far.

Born Bad by James Boyce
Are we born bad or are does our culture make us the way we are? A great book tracing the history of the doctrine of 'original sin' from its originator St Augustine all through the reformation until such people as Richard Dawkins.

Jesus Freak by Sara Miles
If you really want to be challenged and take stock about how lucky we are to live where we do then read this book. For those involved with Foodbanks this book will inspire you. Those who feel comfortable about their faith, this book will unsettle you.

Listening to God by Joyce Huggett
I was once told that God has given us two ears and one mouth and we should use them in that proportion. Do you find yourself talking and praying to God and not letting him get a word in edgeways? Well, this great book is often considered to be a Christian classic as it was written over thirty years ago, but still is as relevant for us today. It is full of wise and helpful suggestions of how we can spend time listening to God and discovering his will for us. Prayer should be always a two-way conversation.

Dethroning Mammon by Justin Welby
I often tell people at this time of year not to give up something for Lent, but take something on. May I suggest you read this year's Archbishop's of Canterbury Lent Book 'Dethroning Mammon.' It has really helped me in looking how money plays a significant role in our lives and the need to put it in a Christian perspective. Money should be seen as a gift to us to use for the benefit of bestowing grace upon others or as Justin Welby puts it 'Divine Economics' This book will challenge you and I hope will bless you this Lenten time.

Is a Radical Church Possible by Adrian Akler
If you are prepared to be really challenged about your faith read this book. You'll find yourself asking some real deep questions about where you are in your journey with God. You'll often disagree with what is written, but it will make you stop and reassess what you really believe. So if you like being provoked and made uncomfortable read this book. I be interested to know how you got on.

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
a great little book which takes a different look at what it means to be faithful to Jesus. it is challenging, thought provoking and will change the way in which are to live.

The Invisible Church by Steve Aisthorpe
A fascinating read, for those dark winter evening, that will make some very uncomfortable and be reassuring to others.

Hidden Christmas by Timothy Keller
For those who believe that 'Christmas is for children' or find that this festive season has lost it's meaning should read this short book.

Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman
This book asks the question are you a follower of Jesus or are you just a fan? Where do you see yourself?

The Insanity of God by Nik Ripkin
I would recommend to anyone who is currently following the preaching series on 1 Peter. It is full of encouragement to those who suffer for their faith. For those who are really going through a difficult time remember these words from a recent J John tweet, 'You can never kill a Christian, only change their address.'

If you have read any good books lately do share them with us in the Comments below.

Richard

Welcome to our new website!

kelly@ultimateproof.co.uk (Kelly Owen) — Fri, 05 May 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome to our new website!

Our aim has been to create a website that is not only easy to use and provides useful information about our church and activities, but also reflects our values and priorities as we work to transform lives through Christ's love.

If you're new to the area and want to find out more about us, the Our Life Together section will give you a good idea of who we are. Our Service Times page gives details of the different services we offer.

We have a dedicated section for children and families , which covers the main groups and activities we provide for children, young people and families - such as our Sunday groups, holiday club and our popular baby and toddler group.

We, of course, have provided all you need to know about holding a baptism, wedding or funeral at St Michael's and how to contact us.

The blog is a new feature that will enable us to share what we're doing, along with our newsletter which you can also view and download from the News page.

As well as our website and blog, we also have a Facebook page where we regularly share church news. Our Facebook group is also available to anyone looking for a more private space to share discussion and news with other church members.

Finally, we'd like to offer our sincere thanks to the team at Cotswold Web Services for the most generous donation of website, and to Kelly at Ultimate Proof for her time in pulling the content together. The website has been created at no cost to the church and we hope you'll find it a useful resource.