The Rector Writes

Dear Friends,

Every now and then you have an idea that is just brilliant. You feel enthused and excited and get quite carried away, and it is only later, with a bit of mature reflection, you realise that your idea was truly, truly stupid.

‘Crabbin the Parson’ is an old Mobberley tradition that I was introduced to not long after moving here. It used to take place on the Sunday after St. Luke’s Day and consisted of parishioners lining up to chuck crab apples at the Rector as he made his way to church. This practice wasn’t unique to Mobberley, it took place at Stourbridge and there is a suggestion it came to be suppressed when the apples were replaced with sticks and stones. ‘Wouldn’t it be a brilliant idea’, I thought, ‘to reintroduce it as a part of our Harvest weekend? And so were are, though with sponges and buckets of water rather than apples.  Brilliant idea… hah! It was stupid, stupid, stupid, and so now, just a couple of weeks before I am flying out to Ghana I am going to be sat outside church, almost certainly in the cold and the wet, whilst parishioners queue up for the privilege of paying to throw wet sponges at me.

I often wonder if Jesus’ disciples sometimes wondered and where fearful of what they had gotten themselves in to. We are told that after a particularly difficult bit of teaching a large number of people turned away and left Jesus. We also know that from the moment Jesus turned his face towards Jerusalem his teaching became quite dark, full of darkness and dire warnings of what was to come. At those moments I wonder if Peter, Andrew, James or John or any of the rest ever sat down a muttered ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid’ to themselves.

The truth is that a brilliant idea is always a brilliant idea, however difficult it may be to achieve, however hard to path that brings it to fruition, whatever is thrown at, it doesn’t stop being brilliant.

When those men, and women, accepted Jesus’ call to follow him it was a brilliant decision they made. They passed through great trials, much heartache and physical pain, but by clinging to that idea, that choice, they came through and were received with joy into God’s kingdom. ‘Crabbin’ the Parson’ is still a stupid idea though!

Yours in Christ,
Ian.

Akwaaba

I am delighted that seven members of our congregation took up my offer to accompany me to Ghana in October. These hardy souls are Julian and Michelle Goodrich, Nick Eadie and his daughter Jenny, Jo Casserley and her grandson Peter and last but not least Jenny Bithell. We shall also be joined by my old colleague Dave Burrow who is Superintendent Minister of the Rossendale Circuit.

Ghana is a country on the south coast of West Africa, sandwiched between the Ivory Coast and Togo, and with a population of 22.5 million people. We shall be flying out on the 16th October and be spending 12 days there. We shall stay for a couple of days in the capital city, Accra, before travelling via Cape Coast to Kumasi. After which we shall be touring the country as much as possible and visiting various local projects being undertaken by local people. These might include building school rooms or digging wells, or they might be longer term, such as maintaining an orphanage.

After we return we shall be holding a Presentation on the 4th November at 7.45 p.m. in the Rajar building. You will be able to see all the places we visited, hear about the projects we saw and, I hope, be able to pledge your support for one or more of them.

This is a very important new strand to our ministry here at St. Wilfrid’s as we reach out into the wider world offering help and support directly where it is needed and revealing God’s love in service to others. Do please come and join us, if nothing else I can assure you it will provide both an entertaining and informative insight into a world rarely seen and almost never with a positive slant.

Doorway

Do you want to grow in your faith, learn more and think about how to live out your faith?

Do you want to be more conficent in talking about what you believe and why?

Do you want to know how to take your faith into daily life?

If you want answers to questions such as these then join us on the Doorway course
Thursday evenings from 02 October 2008 at 7.30 pm
Mobberley CofE Primary School

For more information contact David Bleakley 01565 654584 (evenings)
or look on the Diocesan website www.chester.anglican.org/ministry/Doorway

Patronal Festival

This year we get to celebrate our Patronal Festival on the actual day of St. Wilfrid of Ripon, Sunday 12th October.  St. Wilfrid was born around the year 633 and was the Abbot of Ripon and later Bishop of York.  Wilfrid is described by the Oxford Dictionary of Saints as 'an apostolic pioneer, a monastic founder, a builder of churches and patron of the arts... he deserved to be considered one of the most important men of the Old English Church'.  For some interesting information and pictures relating to Wilfrid please go to www.wilfrid.com/heraldry.htm

We celebrate Wilfrid with an All-Age service at 10 a.m.

Mobberley Association
of Church Fellowships

 At the beginning of the new school year we remembered in our prayers the young people in our community,those at school and those now seeking work.

Our speaker was Judy Popley who gave us a very interesting talk,illustrated by slides, about the history of various stately homes and their estates. She included Castle Howard, Chatsworth, Tatton, Tabley and Quarry Bank Mill Styal.

Next Meeting
Speaker: Keith Yearsley
'It's Him Again - With the M.B.E.!!!'
Wednesday 8th October
Methodist Schoolroom, Faulkners Lane
2.30pm

Visitors are very welcome.

Diary for October

Wed. 1st     Said Holy Communion at the Rajar   10 a.m.
                 Coffee Morning at the Rajar           10.30 a.m.
                 Choir Practice                              7.45 p.m.

Thu. 2nd    Church Decorating                        10-1, 5-8.30
                Doorway meets in school                7.30 p.m.

Fri. 3rd       Harvest Flower Festival opens         12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
                 Harvest Supper at the Cricket Club  7.30 p.m.
Sat. 4th      Harvest Flower Festival                   10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sun. 5th     Harvest Thanksgiving
                 Said Holy Communion (BCP)              8.30 a.m.
                 Harvest Thanksgiving Service (CW)     10 a.m.
                 Harvest Flower Festival                    12-6 p.m.
                 Harvest Songs of Praise                    6.30 p.m.

Mon. 6th    School Harvest Festival in Church       9.15 a.m.
                 Spl@t at Mobberley Methodist Church 7.30 p.m.

Tue. 7th     Celebration of Wholeness & Healing in Church 7 p.m.
                 Bell Ringing Practice                        7.45 p.m.

Wed. 8th    Said Holy Communion at the Rajar      10 a.m.
                Coffee Morning at the Rajar               10.30 a.m.
                Induction of Revd. Jayne Shepherd at St. Cross 7.30 p.m.
                Choir Practice                                 7.45 p.m.

Thu. 9th    Doorway meeting in school                7.30 p.m.
                Wedding Rehearsal in church            7.30 p.m.

Sat. 11th   Wedding (Philip Pentland & Suzette McQuie) 3 p.m.

Sun. 12th   Wilfrid of Ripon / Patronal Festival
                Said Holy Communion (BCP)                8.30 p.m.
                All-Age Service                                 10 a.m.
                Choral Evensong (BCP)                       6.30 p.m.

Mon. 13th  Standing Committee at Rectory          7.45 p.m.

Tue. 14th   Bell Ringing Practice                        7.45 p.m.

Wed. 15th  Said Holy Communion at the Rajar      10 a.m.
                Coffee Morning at the Rajar              10.30 a.m.
                Choir Practice                                 7.45 p.m.

Thu. 16th   Doorway meeting in school               7.30 p.m.

Sun. 19th   The 22nd Sunday after Trinity
                Said Holy Communion (BCP)               8.30 p.m.
                Sung Holy Communion (CW)               10 a.m.
                Choral Evensong (BCP)                      6.30 p.m.

Mon. 20th  Spl@t at Mobberley Methodist Church 7.30 p.m.

Tue. 21st   Bell Ringing Practice                        7.45 p.m.

Wed. 22nd Said Holy Communion at the Rajar      10 a.m.
               Coffee Morning at the Rajar              10.30 a.m.
               Choir Practice                                 7.45 p.m.

Thu. 23rd  Doorway meeting in school               7.30 p.m.

Sat. 25th   Parish Walk                                    10 a.m.

Sun. 26th  The Last Sunday After Trinity
               Said Holy Communion (BCP)               8.30 p.m.
               Choral Matins (BCP)                         10 a.m.
               Sung Holy Communion (BCP)              6.30 p.m.

Tue. 28th  Bell Ringing Practice                        7.45 p.m.

Wed. 29th Said Holy Communion at the Rajar      10 a.m.
               Coffee Morning at the Rajar              10.30 a.m.
               Choir Practice                                 7.45 p.m.

Thu. 30th  Doorway meeting in school               7.30 p.m.