🌿 Spring Highlights from St Thomas'🌿As we look back on March, April and May, we give thanks for a wonderful season of worship, fellowship and community life across our churches.✝️ Journeying Through Lent and Easter Spring began with our Lent Course exploring inclusion, hospitality and radical welcome, helping us prepare our hearts for Easter. We then gathered for Palm Sunday, Holy Week and Easter celebrations, rejoicing together in the good news that Christ is risen. Easter services, vigils and Easter Egg Hunts brought people of all ages together in worship and celebration.🌍 Caring for God's CreationWe continued with our environmental commitments and throughout the spring we reflected on our responsibility to care for God's creation.👶 Welcoming Families Parent & Toddler groups continued to flourish, and in April we launched Bubble Church, a fun, puppet-led service designed especially for toddlers and young children. We have been encouraged by the growing number of families joining us.☕ Friendship and Fellowship Our regular Warm Welcome Lunches have continued to provide valued opportunities for friendship, conversation and support. These gatherings remain at the heart of our community life, offering hospitality and companionship to all.🎉 Fun Community Events There has been no shortage of opportunities to enjoy ourselves together, including: 💃 Line Dancing Evening 🎶 Preparations for concerts and musical events 🍲 Shared meals, lunches and social gatherings⛪ Special Worship and Reflection We marked Rogation Sunday, Ascension Day and Pentecost, celebrating God's presence in creation, Christ's ascension and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thoughtful Tuesday evenings have also provided opportunities to explore prayer, scripture and everyday faith together.🤝 A Commitment to Welcome We continued reflecting on what it means to be an inclusive church, building on the Radical Welcome course and renewing our commitment to ensuring everyone feels valued, respected and welcome within our church communities.🙏 Through changing seasons and changing circumstances, we have continued to trust in God's faithfulness, support one another and celebrate the many blessings He has given us.Thank you to everyone who has worshipped, volunteered, supported events, shared fellowship and helped make our church communities such welcoming places. We look forward to all that God has in store for the months ahead.💜 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1) ✝️https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02Ug5H8Nvq7HerhNh3jgnt6tGZEy6zC748qHZWahA7iMAgQDZakLiqJk4AjArgFHzUl&id=61554888742153 https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0yikVjxNPa1wNKPjDU4Sx1fzTPbeDcMrQNWshXMNgCfjrfnwpN4wXdrBUxJDg24g8l&id=61554888742153 https://www.facebook.com/reel/896965536653337 https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid06WnJNQMQZMNbVZCosTiocoEQaU9xQN24m42mu8wZLZcXvN8qDK4CvmmNFHuXmS5Al&id=61554888742153https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0z45eVpxVtWLAUJUnCuXACxb3xP7jYaVhpxzHEtiJFqf8auUjx8WrHHkAisLLtURgl&id=61554888742153https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid05fkFVQUbigVPBVRb74yckJp7wA964X8hQe5Hp7MZpXeZcSQhCqy51Q8nKZrjd9Czl&id=61554888742153https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02VqEoZ26E4BNAkYQLbmVHpxgdwEma8GBmS1MmxRKoNfAphF8Kgx7d25JGBzttCjTQl&id=61554888742153https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02xgMdaf6rkTH32vHEAqhE5QEoQQ528fUPNamiMVSp3BtGg4qHGoFf8aFhrwQ9bKNpl&id=61554888742153https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02zamVbZ91L5ef2DFDefwmo17ubSdQJSHsKRMN3a5hpfWmD1n3gskEYZLq9bFZpjdDl&id=61554888742153https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0W6XecceqTdU7B6RqMYiB8bEGpZzszrjEBaJzvpTAiDDfadPA3NSYYRCMDfd8RJY8l&id=61554888742153
It’s been a wonderfully busy and joyful few months at St Thomas’ Church in Lydiate — and we’ve loved every moment of community life together! 🌟We started the season with festive cheer 🎄✨! Our Christmas Tree Festival 🎄🌟 lit up the church with creativity, color, and community warmth. Families and friends enjoyed carol services 🎶, candlelit gatherings 🕯️, and joyful Christmas Day celebrations 🎁 — spreading hope, light, and happiness to all who joined.As the new year began, we paused to mark Plough Sunday 🌾, giving thanks for the land and those who work it — a meaningful reminder of our rural roots and God’s blessings on the year ahead.Next came our Lego-themed service 🧱✝️, bringing faith stories to life in fun and imaginative ways. It was a delight for children and adults alike, showing that worship can be both creative and joyful! 😄We also celebrated the global impact of young women in faith and service during our service in celebration of Girl Guiding around the world 👧🌍 — a wonderful opportunity to honour courage, friendship, and community spirit.Finally, we enjoyed an inspiring talk on Gerard Manley Hopkins 🎙️📚, exploring the life, poetry, and legacy of this remarkable literary figure. It was a fascinating afternoon for poetry lovers and anyone interested in faith and culture.Amid all these special events, our regular worship continued to nourish us 🙏 — Sunday Eucharists, midweek prayers, and fellowship gatherings keeping our church community connected and thriving.A huge thank you to everyone who joined in, supported events, baked cakes 🍪, prayed 🙏, or simply brought your presence and smiles 😄. You are what makes St Thomas’ such a warm, welcoming, and joyful place! 💛Here’s to the next season of friendship, faith, and community life! ✨(2) 🎄✨ Christmas Tree Festival – This... - St Thomas Church Lydiate | Facebook(2) ⏰🌾 Plough Sunday is this Sunday! 🌾🚜... - St Thomas Church Lydiate | Facebook(2) 🧱Tomorrow our 11 a.m. service will be... - St Thomas Church Lydiate | Facebook(2) 👧🕯Photos from our service yesterday,... - St Thomas Church Lydiate | Facebook(2) 📖✨ An Evening of Poetry, Place & Local... - St Thomas Church Lydiate | Facebook
