Church Newsletter Issue #110 16th -30th August 2026 - Extended Issue
One in Christ at the Carnival
A huge thank you to Amit, Revd Kausar, Carol, Julie and Charles, who stepped onto the big stage at Manchester Caribbean Carnival on Sunday and helped lead a wonderful act of public worship. Deborah from St Margaret's also got involved and her poem is below.
In the heart of the Carnival programme, Christians from many local churches came together as one in Christ. Different voices spoke, prayed, preached and sang, offering a joyful witness to our shared faith and to the unity we have in Jesus.
Carol invited us to look with wonder at the extraordinary universe God has made and to recognise the Creator behind its beauty and vastness. Julie and Charles boldly led the gathered crowd in declaring together that Jesus is Lord. Revd Kausar called everyone to praise the Lord, encouraged a great shout of Hallelujah, and shared from Psalm 103: “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Amit also played his part in helping this shared worship come alive.
It was beautiful to see members of our churches offering themselves so freely in public worship, right at the heart of our community’s celebration.
Great job, everyone—and thank you for representing us so wonderfully!
Revd Tom
A prayerful poem by Deborah Black from St Margaret's for the Manchester Carnival
Blessed Are Our Days
Precious are days like these,
When we celebrate carnival
Enjoying what the Lord has made
In costumes, music and vibrant parades
To feel free, to shout this is me, I am here
One day living without any fear
When the enslaved shook of their chains
Abandoning the fields of cotton and cane
They left a heritage of resilience and hope
Finding a rhythm that helps us to cope
This rich cultural connection
Beneath heavenly skies
Gives us time to put burdens to one side
To count our blessings
Knowing God’s goodness resides
Around us daily
A gift from on high
There are so many pathways into this park
To feed ducks, drink tea and to let our minds start
Remembering God’s amazing grace
As he guides us through humanity’s race
Even Maya Angelou cried
When she realised
God loves me
A love of compassion and understanding,
Of shelter wherever you are standing
It’s there in every prayer we say
In his forgiveness and his mercy every single day
All this in Jesus's name
Amen
Celebrating 150 Years of Mothers’ Union
On Sunday 9th August our Mothers Union joined some wonderful celebrations at Manchester Cathedral marking 150 years of Mothers’ Union – a remarkable movement of prayer, service and Christian care reaching communities across the world.
A huge thank you to our Mothers’ Union team, who put so much thought, creativity and hard work into preparing our contribution to the celebration. Their wonderful jigsaw brought together the story of Mothers’ Union both locally and globally. Among the many photographs were treasured memories of Mrs Simpson and Mrs Reid, alongside a photograph of Mothers’ Union members in the Seychelles, reminding us that we belong to a worldwide family.
At the heart of the jigsaw was a lovely acrostic celebrating what MOTHERS and UNION mean:
M – magnificent
O – observant
T – traditional
H – hard working
E – emotional
R – reliable
S – supporting
U – unbreakable
N – nurturing
I – inspirational
O – optimistic
N – network
Our team did a brilliant job of involving as many people as possible in the anniversary celebrations. Many were given the special Mothers’ Union prayer, together with a candle, encouraging the prayer to travel far beyond the Cathedral. Wonderfully, Doreen’s granddaughter even prayed it from the beach in Hurghada, Egypt – a beautiful reminder that prayer connects us across generations, communities and continents.
Mothers' Union 150th Anniversary Provincial Prayer for the Province of York
Lord of all life,
we give you thanks for the 150th anniversary of the Mothers' Union.
We bless you for the vision of Mary Sumner
to share the love of Jesus in support of family life.
We praise you for the mission and service of the Mother's Union across the world.
As we continue in the vision of our founder in this land,
we especially offer to you our work of outreach in prisons
and campaigns against domestic abuse, gender-based violence and modern slavery.
We pray that you will pour out your Spirit upon us,
to bless, renew and refresh the work of the Mothers' Union in the Province of York.
Together and dispersed, may we bring glory to Jesus and hope to our communities.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
News from Marcio & Noemi – and Save the Date!
Our CMS mission partners Marcio and Noemi continue to share the hope of Jesus creatively through DuPark in Brazil, connecting with people beyond traditional church. Their latest news tells of art, prayer, hospitality and practical generosity: from an Easter experience centred on Jesus’ open table, to a new clothes stall helping families in need. They have also welcomed pioneer missionaries from across Latin America and encouraged churches to use their God-given talents creatively in mission. Please continue to pray for families struggling to find work, for new mission ideas to flourish, and for their work with teenagers and artists.
Save the weekend: 19–20 September! Marcio and Noemi will be visiting us. On Saturday, all are welcome to the Rectory garden for a fire-pit BBQ and bring-and-share meal – come ready to hear their news, pray and enjoy fellowship together. Bring warm clothes and blankets! On Sunday they will join St James’ morning service and Dwell at the Well in the afternoon.
More details nearer the time – but put the dates in your diary now!
Click here to read their latest CMS newsletter>>
St James Youth - 1st Sunday of the Month
On the first Sunday of the month, St James Sunday morning service will now provide a space during the service for the young people in our congregation. So if you are aged between 12 and 17, there will be an opportunity to join a practical, reflective and relatable time of learning and growing in faith. Separate from the main congregation, in your own group you are invited to bring questions and have a chat through the liturgy for that Sunday morning.
We started on August 2nd and in a quieter space away from the main service, we asked ourselves questions, reflected together and noted down some ideas for prayers that were prompted by the scripture that morning Matthew 14. 13-21. We are enough, we are loved, and we can trust God with growing something significant, especially when what we have might seem so small.
And there’ll always be some cookies available…just sayin’!
Blessings Revd Elizabeth.
Dwell @ The Well, between 1pm and 4pm, a place to bring a friend or yourself, stop for a bit or just long enough to have a coffee, some food and some gentle time with Jesus. Games, worship, prayer if you need, a time to go deeper in conversation or time to enjoy fellowship and connection.
Next gatherings August 16th and then September 6th.
What's on at a Glance
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Readings: Readings: Genesis 45.1-15, Psalm 133, Matthew 15. 21-28.
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9.30am - NO EARLY SERVICE at St Edmund's
10.30am - Communion Service at St Edmund's and Service of the Word at St James'
4pm - Grace Community
1-4pm Dwell @ the Well at St James'
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Monday
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Prayers at St Edmund's - 9.30am
Tuesday
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Morning Prayer - 9.30am at St James'
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Place of Welcome - 10am at St James'
Wednesday
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Coffee Morning has finished for the summer
Thursday
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Grieving Together Cafe - finished for the summer
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The Chosen group meet informally at homes over the summer
Friday
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Happy Cats toddler group meets Friday mornings at St Edmund's from 10am.
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Readings: Exodus 1.8, 2.10, Psalm 124, Matthew 16. 13-20
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9.30am - NO EARLY SERVICE
10.30am - Intergenerational Worship at St Edmund's and Communion at St James'
4pm - Grace Community |
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Readings: Exodus 1.8, 2.10, Psalm 124, Matthew 16. 13-20
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9.30am - NO EARLY SERVICE at St Edmund's
10.30am - Our special 5th Sunday joint service at St James' - NO SERVICE at St Edmund's
4pm - Grace Community |
Advance Dates
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CMS Brazil Mission Partners Weekend - 19th -20th September - see above
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Dwell at the Well - September 6th
Service Rotas- Rota is complete until 13th Sept.
To get involved in our services and offer yourself to read or lead prayers in church click on the new Sept 2026-Jan 2027 DRAFT rota links below and fill in the availability forms at the bottom. Revd Kausarer will work with the team to help finalise the rota at the start of September. Please be aware this is a draft copy so there are blanks that are being populated.
Links to:
St Edmund's Next Rota - Sept 26-Jan 27>>
St James' Next Rota - Sept 26 - Jan 27>>
If you need to get in touch over the next few weeks then please do call Revd Kausar on 07737 878861