Secretary’s Chat August/September
As I type this the sun is pouring through the windows. It’s hot isn’t it. My one thought is “How long will it last?” My holidays are not until the end of July. Can we keep the sunshine until then? We will soon find out. No matter the weather life goes on.
There is a lot going on here in the church as we prepare for our new minister. Simon will be Ordained and Inducted in September as minister of three churches. Blacon, Upton and Vicars Cross and we are all excited and really looking forward to working together and welcoming Simon as our new minister.
Sadly, we must announce the death of Mrs. Margaret Dutton. a long-time member and friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.
We will be saying goodbye to Charlotte who is leaving us to go to Leeds University, but she has promised to return. May the force go with you Charlotte. She is a great Star Wars fan. Remember and pack your Light Saber.
On a happier note, we look forward to the Induction and Ordination service of our newest Elder, Elizabeth and welcome her onto the team.
The Elders are working hard preparing for our new Minister.
Invitations have been delivered and excitement is rising
We thank our Interim Moderators, Rev’s Alan and Anthea Wickens and Rev Ron Reid for their encouragement and dedication as they guided us through the process of selecting a minister for the three churches. May the Lord go before us, guide us and lead us along the right path.
First Saturday of the month Coffee Morning continues August 1st 10.30 – 12 noon. You will be made very welcome. Can I take this opportunity on behalf of all the Summer Fair team for the wonderful support we received from you all. A wonderful team effort.
While we are without a minister, please contact any of the Elders, if there is anything you are worried about or you need to contact someone. We will do our best to help.
God Bless.
Sheila
Many thanks for all your contributions which helped me to raise over 1k both from the Just Giving page and direct fundraising for the Hospice.
The local Cenny pub Sunday quiz teams gave me £60 from their pot last night.
The walk ended up at 12.15 miles taking me 4hrs 13 mins (2.90mph) With which I am really pleased. The route was flat with just a few feet of ascent at the last 3 miles.
It was dry, cold and very windy with one tough 1.5mile section from the Red Rocks at Hoylake to the West Kirkby marine lake. That section was one of the hardest walks I have done.
The very strong headwind meant that I really had to use my sticks into the wet sand. The distant marine lake never seemed to get any closer.
It was very good to get off the beach to find a little shelter at the end of it..
On the sheltered enclosed marine lake the strong wind whipped up the waves so they had white caps. A lot of the craft struggled with the strong wind but they seemed to be having fun.
I left Chester at 7:20 to arrive at Birkenhead North free car station 40mins later. I waited for the brand new Mersey Rail running stock to travel to the nearby New Brighton Pavilion start.
I set of at 9am with thousands of other fundraisers some of whom had started at 8:30. There were many other big charities supported by large numbers of walkers.
All the walkers ambled along chatting in groups or pairs. I was one of the few solo walkers.
The sight of an unbroken line of walkers stretching out into the distance was very impressive. Almost biblical in scale.
I had been spoilt by my recent scenic coastal views around the Anglesey coastal path so I was a bit disappointed by the plain views. The low tide left a huge expanse of sand away out to the distant horizon with the wind turbines just visible.
The views improved over the last few miles with the North Wales coast on the south side of the Dee Estuary.
The Wirral Rotary Clubs have to be congratulated on putting on a fantastic event just charging £5 per head. This probably just about covered the direct costs.
There was some very welcome live music at the finish to set the scene for getting your diploma for completing the walk.
I boarded a mini bus for a small fee of £1 to West Kirkby station or £3 to the start. I got of at West Kirby for the train back to Birkenhead North where my trusty 19 year old Zafira was waiting to take me back to Chester.
Many thanks
Ian
Retreat on Holy Island
On Monday 22nd June a group of us journeyed to Holy Island for a URC Mersey Synod retreat lasting until Friday morning.
The Holy Island of Lindisfarne (also known as Lindisfarne) is a tidal island off the coast of Northumberland, cut off from the mainland twice daily by the North Sea. It is famous for its rich Anglo-Saxon history, its ruined 12th-century priory, and an isolated 16th-century castle.
Tidal Access: The island was reached via a 3-mile causeway that is safe to cross for only a few hours each day.
Historical Sights: We discovered the birthplace of early English Christianity by exploring Lindisfarne Priory, and visited the Tudor-era Lindisfarne Castle, an eye-catching small castle on the top of an old volcanic plug.
Nature & Wildlife: The island sits in the heart of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve. I had several walks across the island's vast dunes and spotted up to 200 plus grey seals resting on the intertidal sand bars.
Staying in the retreat house accommodation, we had sessions thinking about our place in our Christian faith, both in the library, and in a former URC church that is now the Cuthbert Centre. Sessions included reading, meditation, music, prayer, silence, pictures, discussions and craft sessions. The pace of life slowed to a halt, and we emerged on the Friday completely rejuvenated and ready for our next steps in faith.
In between sessions I loved the solitude of the sand-dunes and was astonished to find more wild flowers than I have ever seen before. Perhaps the most exciting was passing hundreds of orchids, where I managed to identify at least three varieties, and also wild flower rarities such as vipers bugloss. Add to this, the curious faces of the grey seals when we stood opposite the tiny Cuthberts Island, as one after another popped up to look at us, before disappearing off to catch some fish for supper.
If you ever have the opportunity to visit Holy Island, just go. It is quiet, beautiful and full of the glories of God’s creation.
Marje R
AVIAN INTERRUPTION
Staying in a budget hotel, the amount of noise in your room can be a lottery. Depending on which room you are allocated there may be sounds from the lift, from corridor doors and from the activities of your neighbours. Nowadays for a small extra fee you can choose your room, so on a recent visit to Carlisle we took up that option. We selected a top floor room away from the lift and clattering doors. When we arrived, our room was great. We unpacked, went out to get some food and then returned to spend the evening writing postcards.
Suddenly there was a loud fluttering sound as a large herring gull landed on the outside windowsill of our room.
It proceeded to probe around the edge of the open window with its beak. Fortunately, the metal safety cord on the window prevented it from being opened very wide. The gull paused, studied us through the window and continued to do so, making loud calls at intervals, for some time. Then it flew away, only to return in the morning. We assume that previous visitors had put bits of pizza or other snacks on the windowsill (herring gulls eat anything), so foraging was worthwhile.
Observing a herring gull at close quarters was a fascinating aspect of our visit. Our unexpected caller, just one example of the artistry, skill and wonder of God’s creation.
20 And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ 21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1 v 20-21
Elizabeth Bentley