What historic events we have lived through in September. The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll has brought a time of thanksgiving for her incredible life of duty and service. It has also meant a time of reflection and sadness. At St. John’s the flag has been flown at half-mast for the period of mourning and the church was open to give members of our community an opportunity to take time to reflect and to sign the book of condolence. On Sunday 18th September, the day before the State Funeral, there was a service of Holy Communion during the period of mourning for the Queen. The service, attended by many of the Parish Council, contained appropriate readings and prayers for the Queen, the Royal Family in their time of grief and prayers for King Charles lll. The service was led by the Revd Jane Parry who gave the following sermon.‘Evening will come, however determined the late afternoon’ …so begins the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage ’s tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second… These few words reflect the certainty that we are ever moving forward, not able to cling to the past, nor to hold on to the present moment, there is only the future, and what is to come, will indeed come. We knew for some time that Her Majesty was ill and was declining in health and knew in our heart of hearts that she would probably not have long for this world. Indeed, since the death of her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, the duties of state seemed to have weighed very heavily on her well-being. So though being immensely sad, we were not perhaps totally surprised at her passing. Sudden unexpected deaths leave us confused and bewildered, but even those deaths that are nearing inevitability still leave us feeling deeply and profoundly bereft. Nothing can really prepare us for living in a world without the one we loved, the one we cared for and about, the one we respected and admired and them being no longer a part of our lives. ‘Grief is the price we pay for love’ said Her Majesty, ‘Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical, and spiritual necessity; the price we pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.’ When I am beside those coming to the end of their life, they will so very often say to me ‘I don’t want them (my family) to be sad, I don’t want them to grieve…’ But grief isn’t about those who have died, it is about us the living and how we cope without that person present in our lives. We, the living, have a right and a need to grieve – Jesus showed this at the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35) and we can take comfort in knowing the grief of death that is in the heart of our God. We will all have memories of Her Majesty over many years – some will have had the privilege of meeting her in person, some being at an event in which she was in attendance, we will all have seen her and have memories of seeing her on television and read about her in books and newspapers, these recollections of own can only scratch at the surface in recalling the spirit in which Her Majesty lived her life… let us take a few moments of silence as we remember in thanksgiving and gratitude for Her Majesty Queen Elizabth the Second… God of mercy and all consolation, come close to those who mourn. Comfort them in assurance of love that never dies; bless them in happy memories of the past; give them strength in all that is to come, with trust in the Resurrection that gives them union now and forever with those they have loved, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Revd Jane Parry
Dear all We are very pleased to tell you that an appointment, subject to all formalities being fulfilled, has been made for a new vicar at St. John’s High Legh. This is, as advertised, a part time post of 2.5 days a week, plus Sundays. Our new incumbent, Clare, is moving to join us from Oxfordshire. As a PCC and as a congregation, we have been praying that God would help us to see a way forward and that someone would feel called to lead us at St. John’s. We are truly grateful that Clare has heard God’s call and we will be sharing more details about the appointment in due course. We hope that, as a community, you will join us in welcoming Clare to High Legh when the time comes. With all blessings St. John’s PCC
We are very pleased to tell you that an appointment, subject to all formalities being fulfilled, has been made for a new vicar at St. John’s High Legh. This is, as advertised, a part time post of 2.5 days a week, plus Sundays. Our new incumbent, Clare, is moving to join us from Oxfordshire. As a PCC and as a congregation, we have been praying that God would help us to see a way forward and that someone would feel called to lead us at St. John’s. We are truly grateful that Clare has heard God’s call and we will be sharing more details about the appointment in due course. We hope that, as a community, you will join us in welcoming Clare to High Legh when the time comes. With all blessings St. John’s PCC
Dear FriendsIt is with great sadness that I write to inform you that, at an extraordinary meeting of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) last evening, a decision was made to suspend worship and private prayer at St. John's Church for the time being. This is with immediate effect.Funerals will still be able to take place in line with current government and church guidelines.This decision was taken in the light of the current situation with the pandemic and the stay at home message which we are all being encouraged to take to heart.Unless there are any significant developments before then, the decision will be reviewed by the PCC in mid-March. This is in line with other churches in the United Benefice.We will be continuing with a recorded service. The link is sent out with the Update every week and is also available on the St. John's website, www.stjohnshighlegh.org.We will also be offering a live service on Zoom at 10.30am on a Sunday morning for the whole of the United Benefice. Further details and the Zoom link for this will be sent out with this week's Update and I hope you will be able to join us. Please pass this information on to anyone who you think may not have received this email.Please remember that, if you are finding things difficult and would like to talk to someone, do get in touch with one of us.Finally, please be assured of my prayers at this time.Rev'd Trish Cope
