St Mark’s Gratitude Garden #celebrating harvest

Harvest is a time to stop and remember that everything we have is a gift from God. In the four weeks leading up to our harvest services, take a few moments to think about why and how we celebrate harvest.

Week 4: Gratitude

Read: Deuteronomy 26

Moses instructs the Israelites to give the first fruits of their harvest every year as a gift to God. This annual offering will remind them to say thank you to God for rescuing them from slavery and for keeping His promise to provide for their needs. When we have everything we need, it is easy to become complacent. When there is food on the table, clean water to drink and a safe place to sleep, it is easy to forget to say thank you. Celebrating harvest is an opportunity to stop and appreciate the many gifts that God gives us that we often take for granted. Celebrating harvest is an opportunity to say thank you to God for these gifts and to show our gratitude by giving away some of what God had given to us.

Reflect: Why is it important to develop an ‘attitude of gratitude’? How can you practice being grateful not just at harvesttime, but all year round?

Pray: God of the harvest, all that we have is a gift from you. This harvesttime, help us to be grateful for all that we have and to offer you our thanks and praise. Amen.

St Mark’s Gratitude Garden #celebrating harvest

Harvest is a time to stop and remember that everything we have is a gift from God. In the four weeks leading up to our harvest services, take a few moments to think about why and how we celebrate harvest.

Week 3: Global

Read: Psalm 24

We do not live in isolation but rather as part of a global community. Much of the food we eat every day is grown by farmers who live in other parts of the world. Our choices have repercussions for them, not just in terms of the products we buy but also how our actions impact the climate. In many places around the world, families are being pushed to the limit as traditional farming practices become increasingly ineffective in the face of extreme weather events like powerful storms, prolonged droughts or flooding. So at harvest we are encouraged to engage with and respond to the climate crisis.

Reflect: Where does the food you eat come from? What impact is the climate crisis having on farming families in these countries? How will you respond to the climate crisis?

Pray: God of the harvest, nurture in us a vision for change. Stir in us a desire for justice, that our hope for a fairer world may become action. Amen.

St Mark’s Gratitude Garden #celebrating harvest

Harvest is a time to stop and remember that everything we have is a gift from God. In the four weeks leading up to our harvest services, take a few moments to think about why and how we celebrate harvest.

Week 2: Guardianship

Read: Genesis 1

God created a world that provides us with all that we need; food, water, shelter and so many other resources. The world also teaches us about who God is because God’s nature can be seen in the world around us. God cares about every aspect of creation and although humanity has a special place in God’s heart, this privileged position comes with the responsibility to be responsible guardians of the world God has made. So at harvest we are encouraged to reflect on how we care for our planet.

Reflect: How can you partner with God in caring for and renewing the world He has made? What choices can you make this week to play your part as a guardian of creation?

Pray: God of the harvest, forgive us when we take your creation for granted, abusing its resources and polluting its goodness. Help us to speak and act for the good of your planet. Amen.

#celebrateharvest Week 1 Generosity

Harvest is a time to stop and remember that everything we have is a gift from God. In the four weeks leading up to our harvest services, take a few moments to think about why and how we celebrate harvest.

Week 1: Generosity

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Giving to others a share of what God has given to us is an important part of living a life that is God-centred and God-shaped. We do not give because we expect to get something in return if we do. We give because we are grateful to God for the many ways in which God lavishly and generously gives to us. So at harvest we are encouraged to be generous as an act of worship to God.  

Reflect: How has God provided for your needs this week? What do you feel especially grateful for? How can you join in with God’s generosity?

Pray: God of the harvest, you have blessed us abundantly. Help us to generously share what you have given us with thankful and cheerful hearts. Amen.

Lent Charity Giveaway

During Lent, we have donated £50 from our café profits to each of the following charities:

The Wingate Centre

Positive About Down Syndrome

DEC Ukraine Appeal

SANDS Neonatal Research

British Legion

Edward’s Trust (support for bereaved parents)

North West Air Ambulance

Nantwich and District Riding for the Disabled

Guide Dogs for the Blind

Water Aid

Alzheimer’s Society

Mission to Seafarers.

Thank you to everyone who nominated a charity and huge thanks to all our wonderful customers who made the donations possible.

And don’t forget we have a new spring menu available.

This is the letter we will be sending to the Bishops, having completed the course.

For the attention of the Bishops,

Living in Love and Faith Feedback

This letter is written on behalf of members of the churches of All Saints’ in Weston and St Mark’s in Shavington in the Diocese of Chester who have taken part in the Living in Love and Faith course. We have valued the opportunity to learn together using the LLF resources and wanted to share with you some of the key issues that have arisen as a result of the learning that has taken place. In our final session together, we agreed that we would feedback the following points:

1. We want to welcome everyone with tolerance and sensitivity regardless of who they are. 

2. We feel it is important to develop ways of enabling people to gain a greater understanding of the impact that their views have on an individual’s emotional and psychological well-being. 

3. We want to accept people for who they are or as they present themselves. 

4. We have valued the course but cannot see how two opposing sides can come together in agreement when each side is firmly grounded in the belief that they are right. 

5. We believe that the feelings of the existing church congregation are also important so there needs to be mutual understanding and respect on all sides. As a church community, we need to learn to disagree well. 

6. We need to develop a much clearer understanding of the issues involved, particularly in relation to a person’s gender and sexuality. 

We hope that our feedback is useful as you prayerfully consider the next steps for the Church of England. We wish you well in this difficult task and pray for God’s wisdom and grace to be with you. 

With all good wishes,

Rev Rachael Griffiths

Vicar

All Saints’ Weston with St Mark’s Shavington

Living in Love and Faith (LLF) is a six week course during which we will explore issues relating to what it means to be human and ask ourselves the question, how we can live lovingly and faithfully alongside people whose identity, relationships or sexuality might be very different from our own? The course is open to everyone and will be a safe space in which to share, reflect and learn together. We hope that it will enable us as a parish to understand more fully what it means for us to live out our strapline ‘Sharing the love of Jesus with all.’ The sessions will last for an hour and a half with opportunity for a break for refreshments half way through. They will include videos, case studies, Bible study, discussion and prayer. The topics for each week are as follows:

Date	Topic	Venue*
Thursday 3rd Feb	Learning Together	St Mark’s church
Thursday 10th Feb	Identity	St Mark’s church
Thursday 17th Feb	Relationships	St Mark’s church
BREAK
Thursday 3rd March	Sex	All Saints’ hall
Thursday 10th March	Life Together	All Saints’ hall
Thursday 17th March	What have we learned?	All Saints’ hall

Each session is stand-alone so if you can’t make them all, don’t worry. You can also access all of the resources online for any sessions that you miss. Details of how to access the resources will be shared in a weekly blog on our website (www.allsaintsandstmarks.com). If you have any questions, please speak to Rachael or Gaynor. We look forward to learning together!

*All sessions start at 7.30pm and end at 9pm.

St Mark’s and All Saints’ 2021 Challenge: Walk to the Cross

Are you looking for something different to do this Lent? Would you be up for a challenge that will help improve your fitness and raise valuable funds for our parish churches? Something that you can do even if we are still in lockdown?

‘Walk to the Cross’ is a virtual walking challenge from our parish to Jerusalem, a distance of 4,688km. To take part in the challenge, you will need to walk as many kilometres as you can for each of the six weeks of Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday (17^th February) and ending on Maundy Thursday (1^st April). You will need to calculate your total weekly mileage in kilometres, starting on Ash Wednesday, and then send it to Rachael. You will need to let Rachael know your total weekly mileage on the evening of each of the following Thursdays:

25^th February, 4^th March, 11^th March, 18^th March, 25^th March and 1^st April.

Rachael will keep a running total of how many miles we have collectively walked and there will be a weekly update about how far along the route to Jerusalem we have reached.

To take part in the Lent challenge, you will be invited either to make a donation or ask for sponsorship (forms available on request). All money raised will go to church funds. For more information or to sign up to the virtual walking challenge, please contact Rachael (vicar@allsaintsandstmarks.com / 01270 582585). 

You can download a sponsorship form here:

Or donate here: https://givealittle.co/campaigns/37ddf78a-2ef3-4bc8-b0c9-867cc37fa75b