Youth Group Christmas Appeal raises £550

 

Instead of sending Christmas cards to friends, many members of St Mary’s congregation hung a single card on the Youth Group cross in church and donated the money that would otherwise have been spent on cards, to Christian Aid.

Thanks to those who contributed so generously, the Youth Group were able to send £550.00 to Christian Aid, who will also be able to claim a further £86.25 from the money which was Gift-Aided bringing St Mary’s contribution this Christmas to £636.25.

Rebecca Hirst from the Youth Group with the Cards on our home made Celtic Cross

The Youth Group decided to spend the money as follows:

• A deep well for a Kenyan community which has been struggling with poor rains for the last few years.
• A herd of goats for a family in Burundi – to supply fertiliser, milk and kids to sell.
• A year’s primary education for 2 children in Bangladesh at a school set up in a remote area to improve access to education and the future of the children and their community.
• 3 wormeries for Indian families to turn wasteland into productive fertile land for growing crops.

St Mary’s former Rectory is sold

The sale  of the former Rectory, Rectory Room and Stable Block by the Diocese of Chester was completed on 22nd December 2011. The new owners are a local family.

The Rectory was built in the late 1880’s, shortly after the construction of the new church of St Mary Without-the-Walls. The first Rector to live in the house was Henry Grantham, the Rector for 40 years. Subsequently, five Rectors lived there, the last being Christopher Samuels, who retired in 2005. The new Rectory in Lower Park Road was purchased in 2006 on the appointment of the current Rector, Paul Dawson.

With the sale of the Rectory, the parish has lost the use of the Rectory Room. In the short term, those groups that used this will be accommodated in the Church Hall. 

A working party is considering accommodation options for the future, including extending the current Church Hall or a “new build”.

Christmas Services at St Mary’s

Sunday, 18th December

•   6.30pm Service of Nine Lessons and Carols.

Christmas Eve, 24th December

•   4.00pm Crib Service.
• 11.30pm Midnight Eucharist.

Christmas Day, 25th December

•   8.00am Holy Communion.
• 10.00am Family Communion.