The truth as the 21st century sees it……

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

For those of you who may not know, 6th November 2011 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Many of our church services on this Sunday will feature prayers for those who struggle to live their Christian faith because of the intolerance and threats which they face from the apparatus of state or from representatives of other faiths, or a combination of the two. Christians in some countries can face lengthy prison sentences, violent beatings or even death for declaring that Jesus is Lord, and congregations can struggle to find a meeting place, to get hold of Bibles and other Christian material, or to have access to a priest or pastor who has been properly trained.

So, what can we do to help? Well, certainly pray, and pray regularly! Every region in the world which is struggling economically will also have a Christian church which needs support. Repressive or extreme regimes will seek to minimise the impact of Christian witness. Our prayers make a difference!

You could also consider supporting one of the organisations which work with the persecuted church. There are several, but in the UK two of the largest are Open Doors and the Barnabas Fund, and there are links to their websites below. It is also worth remembering that the church may be suffering from persecution here at home, also. Certainly, we rarely suffer from violent attacks or imprisonment for our faith, but the creeping secularisation of our nation risks gagging the voice of Christian witness in a way which is every bit as sinister.

So, pray for those who are visibly oppressed, but also for those who struggle in the face of our secular world. And let us encourage one another with these words of scripture :

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39 (NIV)

Open Doors

Barnabas Fund

Latest Prayer Bulletin now available

The new (October-November) Deanery Prayer Bulletin is available to download from the ‘Deanery Prayer’ pages.

Second-hand books? Well worth a look….

If you are not aware of it, there is an excellent (and worthy!) second-hand Christian bookshop on Bridge Street in Warrington town centre. It is run by Book Aid, who raise funds to send Christian literature overseas and if, like me, you are something of a bibliophile, then it is a real treasure-trove! It is only open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday though, so plan your visit. I have attached their publicity flyer (with permission), and would heartily recommend a visit.

Book Aid (Bridge Street)

University Chaplaincy – vacancies

An opportunity to become a part-time chaplain at the University of Chester has arisen. Please follow the link below to find out more :

http://www.chester.ac.uk/node/10602

October Deanery Prayer Meetings

The next Deanery Prayer meetings will be held this Thursday, 13th October, 2pm and 7.30pm, at St Paul’s Church in Penketh. If you are not sure how to find the church, there is a link to their website in our ‘Parishes’/'West Warrington’ section.
The attendances at these meetings has been increasing recently – let’s face it, we can’t have too much prayer! Please do join us to pray for growth in our churches.

NCD Seminar – Report

Well, after many emails and many reminders, the NCD seminar finally happened on Tuesday (20th). We were graciously hosted by St Mary’s in Great Sankey, so a big ‘thank-you’ to Michael and the team.
When I arrived to set up for the evening, I had 18 confirmed attendees. As it turned out, over 40 people enjoyed the excellent presentations by Colin Day and David Shemilt from NCD-UK. This meant that there weren’t enough tables set out, but that’s better than having lots of empty seats!
I have incuded a few pictures from the event, and handouts are available in electronic format, just drop me a line.

(l to r) Michael Buckley (St Mary's), Colin Day, David Shemilt (both NCD-UK) & Stephen Attwater (Warrington Area Dean)

Colin Day in full flight!

Our guests enjoy St Mary's hospitality

Overall, I think the evening was a great success, and I look forward to us enjoying many more Deanery seminars in the future.

New Prayer Bulletin available

September’s Deanery Prayer Bulletin is now available to download from the ‘Deanery Prayer’ pages. Please also note the change of day for the meetings, details of which can also be found on these pages.

Natural Church Development – sign up!

Please don’t forget to let your Churchwardens know if you intend to come to the Natural Church Development seminar on Tuesday 20th September, 7.30pm, St Mary’s Church, Great Sankey!

Cathedral Scripture Breakfast & Supper

Breakfast with the Bible &
Supper with the Scriptures

BREAKFAST WITH THE BIBLE resumes Sunday 11, Sep 2011 at 9.30 am
SUPPER WITH THE SCRIPTURES begins Monday 19, Sep 2011 at 7.00 pm

To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible, Liverpool Cathedral has been hosting a series of in-depth Bible studies since Sunday, 1st May, 2011. The series has been a huge success with over 90 people from different churches and denominations attending as part of the programme, with about 60 people present at each session.

The studies are led by the Reverend Canon Dr Jules Gomes, Dwelly Raven Canon and Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Liverpool Hope University. Jules has a PhD in Old Testament from the University of Cambridge and has written five books and a number of academic articles on biblical topics. He uses the most recent as well as traditional methods in biblical scholarship to teach the Bible from the perspectives of literature, history and theology. The studies also draw attention to the use and interpretation of the Bible in music, art and film.

The studies are currently on the book of Genesis and will continue through the Old Testament seeking to make connections with the New Testament along the way. The teaching will explore theological themes as well as contemporary issues of faith and life. It will ask difficult questions and will seek to address the walk of discipleship. You do not need to be an expert in the Bible to attend!

People who are not churchgoers but are interested in knowing more about the Bible as a cultural and literary document are very welcome. A free breakfast is served and parking is free. The sessions resume from Sunday, September 11, 2011, begin at 9.30 am and end at 10.15 am. People may leave by 10.05 am and are encouraged to return to their own local churches for the morning service. Regular worshippers at the Cathedral normally stay behind for the Eucharist. There are opportunities for questions at the end of each session.

Due to the very encouraging response from Liverpool and the surrounding areas including the Wirral, Southport, St Helen’s, Warrington, etc. there has been a request to replicate the studies for people who cannot attend Breakfast with the Bible on Sunday mornings.

Supper with the Scriptures
We are delighted to announce that this programme will now be held on a Monday evening under the title of Supper with the Scriptures. The programme begins on Monday, September 19, 2011 from 7-8 pm. A small snack will be provided free of cost, and parking is also free. If you arrive around 6.30 pm it will help us manage the supper before the lecture. There will be more time for questions and discussion.

Clergy, pastors and readers are most welcome to attend. The sessions taught so far are now online and may be accessed at www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/breakfastwiththebible . We encourage you to attend, bring friends along and pray for this exciting new venture!

I would be very grateful if you would publicise this to your congregations and encourage them to attend. We hope and pray that this will be a valuable resource for the local churches. Please find a publicity leaflet attached. If you need printed copies please contact:
jules.gomes@liverpoolcathedral.org.uk