Church Newsletter Issue #85 January 18th
Feet Set Upon the Rock
This Sunday’s service sits at the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and we look ahead with hope to gathering with other local churches next Monday evening at our Churches Together meeting. It is a chance to pray, listen, and remember that we belong to something wider than our own congregations — one body seeking to follow Christ together.
That shared life is expressed in practical ways. Alongside other churches, we have agreed to install a bleed kit on the wall outside St James, a small but meaningful act of care for our neighbourhood. It reflects a common desire to bless local people and respond together to the needs around us.
At the same time, our most recent PCC involved some difficult and prayerful decisions. We voted to ask Universal Church of God to find a new place to gather, freeing up space at St James for the growth of our own worshipping community and for a more generous, open café space serving local people. This decision may seem, at first glance, to sit awkwardly alongside our commitment to Christian unity. Yet CoE legal realities around building use, and our responsibility for mission and growth, mean the pages in the book of St James' long history and hope filled future are turning. God is on the move doing a new thing, leading us to fully make use of the new building that has taken such investment.
In all of this, Sunday’s readings gently draw us back to trust. Psalm 40 speaks of waiting on the Lord and finding our feet set on solid rock. In the Gospel, John points to Jesus, the Lamb of God, and Jesus simply says, “Come and see.” Faith begins there — in trust, patience, and discovering together where Christ is leading us.
Revd Tom
Revival We Pray in the Student World
Carol Smith encourages us to go to Kings Church Manchester, Kings House, Sidney St, Manchester, M1 7HB on 30th January to pray for revival amongst students at a great event. Here is some more info from FUSION:
"In just over two week’s time, we are going to gather in 27 locations across the UK to contend for a move of God on our campuses. In 2025, we continued to see early signs of a spiritual awakening amongst Gen Z. We saw church attendance rise, we heard testimonies of hope and we were deeply encouraged hearing stories of students having powerful encounters with Jesus.
We are so encouraged by all that God is doing in the student world and we want to gather to pray to ask for more. In Matthew 7:7 it says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” So we are asking, Lord, would you Do It Again!
Do It Again is about gathering people who are passionate about seeing revival in our Universities. On 30th January 2026, together with other student mission organisations, FUSION are inviting students and the wider church to join in unified prayer for the student world. We are thankful for all God is doing, but we cry out for more."
Visit https://doitagainprayer.org/locations to get your FREE tickets
What Brilliant Upholstery Progress
It starts again.... the re-covering of the chairs at St Edmund's. A small band of sewers completed about 45 chairs between September and early December. Only 75 chairs left to re-cover. If anyone would like to join us in the sewing, do have a word with Chris or Janet.
Beat the January Blues
A huge thank you to Grace Community for organising a brilliant New Year party at St Edmund’s on 10 January, lifting spirits and pushing back the January blues with warmth, music, and community joy.
Now—come along and boogie at St Margaret’s Centre!
DISCO NIGHT – 25th January 2026 - celebrating Warm Welcome Week
DJ Beatnix on the decks, music, dance & fun
Doors open 5pm–8pm, St Margaret’s Centre and Playing Fields, Brantingham Rd, Chorlton, M21 0TT
Please wear red, yellow, orange, pink or purple. Bring your own bottle. Soft drinks and snacks for sale. Age Restriction: 18+ only 📧 stmargaretscentre1@gmail.com
Register on Our Website
Please could everyone complete the registration form on our new church website CLICK HERE so that we can refresh our church database. This will allow you to share your details and give us permission to hold your information, helping us to keep our GDPR records up to date.
We want to make sure everyone is correctly listed on our new church data management system, Church Hub, which is part of the tools provided through our new website. Keeping our records accurate will help us communicate better, care well for one another, and support the life and mission of our church.
Thank you for taking a few moments to help us with this.
What's on at a Glance
This Sunday - 18th January
Readings we share across all our services: Isaiah 49.1-7, Psalm 40.1-12 and John 1.29-42
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9.30am Morning Worship at St Edmund's
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10.30am Communion at St Edmund's and at St James'
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4pm Grace Community Urdu Church
First Day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Monday
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9.30 Prayers at St Edmund's
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JPCC at St Edmund's 7.15pm for 7.30pm
Tuesday
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Morning Prayer 9.30 at St James'
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Place of Welcome 10am at St James'
Wednesday
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Coffee Morning 10.30am at St Edmund's- How much do you know about St Edmund? Come along to hear all about his life, have a brew and chat to friends, on Wednesday at 10.30am.
Thursday
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Grieving Together Cafe 11.30am at St James'- Grief Movie Clips Discussion
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The Chosen Bible Study - Do join us at 7.30pm to watch The Chosen Season 1, Episode 8: titled "I Am He," focusing on Jesus' journey into Samaria, where He meets and reveals Himself as the Messiah to a Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well, a pivotal moment for the disciples.
Readings we share across all our services: Jeremiah 1.4-10, Psalm 67 and Matthew 19.27-end
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9.30am Communion at St Edmund's
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10.30am Intergenerational Worship at St Edmund's and Communion at St James'
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4pm Grace Community Urdu Church
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Preaching Workshop 12.30pm with lunch for all those who help preach at our churches
Advance Notices
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Preaching Workshops — Sunday Jan 25th and Feb 22nd - 12.30–2.30pm with lunch provided. It is essential that all those who preach come to one of these meetings as a commitment to ongoing development.
Keep up to date at any time by checking our calendar - click here>>
Prayer Pointers for this Week
10 prayer points, shaped by Isaiah 49.1–7, Psalm 40.1–12, and John 1.29–42.
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We thank you, Lord, that you call us by name and hold our lives within your purpose, even when we feel hidden or overlooked.
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We pray for patience to wait on you, trusting that you hear our cries and will lift us onto firm ground in your time.
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Set our feet on solid rock, O God, when we feel unsteady, uncertain, or overwhelmed by change.
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Place a new song in our mouths — a song of hope that points others to your faithfulness and love.
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We pray for courage to trust that our labour in you is never wasted, even when it feels small or unseen.
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Lord Jesus, Lamb of God, we bring before you the brokenness of our world and ask for your mercy and healing.
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Help us, like John, to point beyond ourselves to Christ, speaking truth with humility and clarity.
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Draw us into deeper discipleship as we hear your invitation to “come and see,” and give us grace to respond.
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Strengthen your Church to follow you together, learning, listening, and growing side by side.
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May our lives reflect your wonders and your saving help, so that others may see and come to trust in you.