<div>Catherine thanked the whole St Mary’s Family for persevering over the past 18 months and for their patience, their willingness to try new things, for keeping their sense of humour and for the love and care <span style="font-size: 1rem;">shown to one another.</span></div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">She reflected on the Pentecost passage from the book of Acts. When we feel uncertain about the future of our churches we should remember the disciples didn’t know how they were going to fulfil Jesus’ command </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">to make disciples of all nations. They didn’t have a plan, finances or manpower. But God had a plan and the resources. Catherine reminded us that ‘The Church of God doesn’t have a mission in the world. The God of mission has a Church in the world’ and he will equip and empower us, through his Spirit for that mission.</span><div class="">It’s His mission and His Church. Sometimes we forget that and think it’s all down to us, rather than looking, watching, being alert to what God is doing and then joining in.</div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The Spirit also pushed the disciples out of their comfort zones and they went to people and places they would never have imagined, empowered and equipped by the Spirit.</span><div>The pandemic has pushed the Church out of its comfort zone, to reach new people in new ways we wouldn’t have imagined. We need to learn from the experience. The Church will have been changed by the <span style="font-size: 1rem;">pandemic, but through the Holy Spirit the Church is always changing and being pushed out in new and unexpected directions – that is what it means to be church. But through the same Spirit, God has always </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">equipped His Church for every new situation.</span></div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">What God asks of us is to wait on Him – like those first disciples; expectant that God will act, open to the gift of his Spirit and willing to follow where the Spirit leads and guides us – including in unexpected directions.</span><div>The future of the Church may be uncertain, but it never has been set in stone. But it is secure in God’s hands and if we’re waiting prayerfully and expectantly, open to the Spirit and following the Spirit’s leading then we can look to the Church’s future with anticipation, confidence and hope.</div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Catherine then set out some of the ways in which St Mary’s have been or will be waiting on God and seeking to follow the leading of his Spirit over the coming months which is can be read in the document attached to this news article.</span>
This annual meeting is a reflection, review and celebration of God's hand on our lives both personally and for the church community in the past year and is an opportunity for all the community to come together in praise and worship.The meeting will be held in both church and online on Monday 24th May starting at 19:30. Please contact us for details Zoom details.Anyone can attend (though you can only vote if you are on the electoral roll). If you want to join the electoral roll, please go to our website for the form.Also on that page, you can find out all about what APCM's are and what happens at them!
It has long been the tradition of the Hodnet Deanery, of which St Mary's is part, to hold a Deanery Ascension Day service. As one of 18 churches spread over quite a wide area of north Shropshire, it's one of the only times when we all worship together and we were really looking forward to being outside, suitably attired with chairs and blankets so that we could sing. However, it wasn't to be.We gathered in St Mary's (that's Hales not this one :) ) a beautiful, well appointed, small church that was blessed with fabulous heating (aka hot for those of us who had dressed for outside!). The folding chairs that people had bought came in very handy though as places ran out due to social distancing measures. We couldn't sing out loud but we did worship joyfully with recorded music, readings, reflections and prayers from the Revd Chris Thorpe's new book Ploughshares and First Fruits. Revd Mark Kinder from HMP Stoke Heath spoke about the relaxing of social distancing and our concerns much like the prisoners in Stoke Heath - some can't wait, others like the structure and routine and are fearful. Might we feel the same way about church and what the affect of the pandemic may have had? He pointed out from the readings that we are told to wait for the Holy Spirit as we need it to empower us; that Jesus said go and I will be with you always, to the end of time so we're not on our own. This is God's kingdom, His church and we're His people. We should be <span style="font-size: 1rem;">honest with God about our feelings, pray for the holy spirit, and be assured that the Lord is with us.</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">We ended writing our hopes for our, others and the churches future on ribbons - expecting that God will answer our prayers, perhaps not as we might expect and in His perfect timing. The ribbons were then tied to an ancient beech tree in the churchyard for all to see.</span>
Run via Zoom by CAP Money Coach Ali Doulton, the CAP Money Course runs for 3 weeks on Monday evenings starting on 14th June.The CAP Money Course is a free course that will teach you budgeting skills and a simple, cash-based system that works. In just a few weeks, you will get to grips with your finances so you can budget, save and prevent debt.Even at this time when cash is discouraged, there are still ways to operate as if you are using cash and some great tips and techniques are shared to help you maximise your budgets as well as look to the future.'I heard about the CAP Money Course from a friend who went on the course. I wanted to pay off my credit card and stay out of my overdraft. It changed my life! I never thought it could be so easy, but the CAP Money system is so simple.' Annie, CAP Money Course delegate
