Church Newsletter Issue #117 11th October 2026
Harvest, Black History Month and Celebrating Roy Walters
Last Sunday, St James gathered for a wonderful Harvest celebration, giving thanks to God for his goodness and the richness of our community. Our worship invited us to remember our stories, honour those who have gone before us, and share God's gifts with others. Thank you to everyone who contributed so generously to our Foodbank collection.
We were especially grateful to Roy Walters BEM JP LLD, former Lord Mayor of Manchester, who shared something of his remarkable story of community service.
We are also delighted to congratulate Roy on being a winner at The Best of Manchester Awards 2026! His daughter, Dahlia Walters-Anderson, shared this lovely tribute on Facebook:
“Dad has dedicated so many years to public service and his community, and it means so much to see his contribution continuing to be recognised.”
She also spoke of her pride in continuing the legacy he has created for future generations. Congratulations, Roy!
Our celebrations continued at Dwell at the Well, launching Black History Month with wonderful Caribbean hospitality, food, friendship and fellowship across generations and cultures.
Thank you to everyone who cooked, served, welcomed and joined us.
As we celebrate Black History Month, may we continue honouring the stories, faith and contributions that make our community so special.
Life + Hope for All!
Harvest – Giving Thanks & Sharing God's Gifts
This Sunday, 11 October at 10.30am, we gather at St Edmund’s to celebrate Harvest, giving thanks to God for his goodness and remembering that all we receive is a gift to be shared.
Following last week's wonderful celebrations at St James, we continue gathering our Harvest gifts across our churches, supporting our local Foodbank and neighbours facing difficult times.
Please bring what you can from the Foodbank's urgently needed items:
🥛 UHT milk • Long-life juice
🥫 Tinned fruit, vegetables, spaghetti and rice pudding
🍲 Tinned meat or vegetarian meals • Pasta sauce
🍯 Jam, marmalade or peanut butter
🛍️ Carrier bags
Harvest reminds us to remember God's generosity, bring our gifts and share with others.
As Jesus reminds us, “I am the bread of life” (John 6.35). Our thanksgiving finds its fullest expression when we share God's love in practical ways.
Come and celebrate Harvest together at St Edmund’s!
Message from Mothers’ Union - Come Dine with Us
We have a date for our Mothers’ Union Come Dine with Us
Sunday Lunch Fundraiser - 29 November at St Edmund’s Church 1pm,after the joint service.
Join us for a homemade 3-course meal, cooked and served at St Edmund’s by our Mothers’ Union members
To book your seat at the table contact:
St James' – Jessica/Madhuri/Barbara
St Edmund’s – Lyn/Deborah/Carol B
Or write your name on the list circulating at both churches
Tickets are £7 per person or £15 per family (2 adults and up to three children up
to 13yrs)
We’ll enjoy food and fellowship and hope to get a top score from everyone!!
Finding Joy – Lay Leadership Conference
All lay leaders are warmly invited to the next Manchester South and Stretford Deanery Lay Leadership Conference, hosted at St James, Moss Side, on Saturday 24 October, 10am–1pm.
This is for everyone who contributes to the life of their church—not only licensed or authorised ministers. The morning will offer worship, fellowship and encouragement, with guest speakers The Ven Karen Best, Archdeacon of Manchester, and Dr Adesola Akala, Lay Ministry Officer.
Together we’ll explore “Finding Joy”, giving thanks for the many ways lay people serve across our churches and discovering practical resources to help sustain joy in Christian ministry.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Register for the Lay Leadership Conference>>
Leading Our Church into Growth - Let's Pray Together
Following our recent Leading your Church into Growth (LyCiG) conference, we want to invite everyone across St James' and St Edmund's to take a simple but important step together: to begin praying intentionally for the growth of our churches.
We were reminded at the conference that growth begins with prayer. As we seek to become healthier, growing churches where people encounter Jesus, deepen their faith and discover their place in God's mission, we need to place prayer at the heart of everything we do.
We invite you to make this LyCiG prayer part of your daily prayers, whether at home, in church, in small groups or whenever we gather together.
Our LyCiG Prayer
God of mission,
Who alone brings growth to your Church,
Send your Holy Spirit to give
Vision to our planning,
Wisdom to our actions,
Joy to our worship,
And power to our witness.
Help our church to grow in numbers,
In spiritual commitment to you,
And in service to our local community,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
As we continue exploring what God is calling us towards, let's begin together in prayer, trusting the Holy Spirit to lead us.
Is Confirmation Your Next Step? Let us know this week...
Where are you on your journey of faith? Could confirmation be an important next step for you?
We have been asked if we would like to request a Confirmation service in 2027 by the Area Dean Revd Peter Matthews.
Confirmation is a special moment in the Christian journey. If you were baptised as a child, it gives you an opportunity to affirm the promises made at your baptism for yourself. During the service, a bishop lays a hand upon each candidate and prays for God to confirm and strengthen them with the Holy Spirit.
For some of you, this may be an especially good time to meet together and explore the Christian faith more deeply. You don't need to have all the answers. Preparation for confirmation gives us space to learn, ask questions, pray and discover more about what it means to follow Jesus.
And for some children, young people or adults who have been baptised but haven't yet received Holy Communion, this journey may be particularly significant. Confirmation preparation can provide a thoughtful pathway towards receiving Communion for the first time and discovering more deeply what it means to gather at Jesus' table.
Confirmation isn't only for teenagers. People of all ages can explore taking this step.
There is no commitment at this stage. If something here makes you wonder, “Perhaps it's time for me,” please speak to Tom, Kausar, Elizabeth or Solomon.
Come and explore. Ask your questions. Take the next step of faith.
What's on at a Glance
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Readings for St James: Exodus 32.1-14, Psalm 106, 1-6, 19-23*, Matthew 22.1-14.
Harvest Readings for St James: 🌾 Deuteronomy 26.1–11 🙌 Psalm 100 🍞 John 6.25–35 Jesus: Bread of Life
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9.30am - Short 20-30min Communion Service at St Edmund's
10.30am - Service of the Word with Youth Provision - Harvest Festival at St Edmunds' and Communion at James'.
1pm - Marathi Church at St James
4pm - Grace Community |
Monday
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Morning Prayer - 9.30am at St Edmund's
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Zoom - Praying for Light Party and Autumn events - join Revd Tom to pray! 7pm - Prayer then 7.30pm any Standing Committee business finished at 8pm. Zoom link here>>
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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St Edmund's Coffee Morning / Place of Welcome
We meet at St Edmund's each Wednesday morning between 10.30 and 12.00
Thursday
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Grieving Together Cafe: 11.30am at St James' - Join us as we support one another on our grief journeys
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The Chosen at St Edmund's 7.15pm to continue watching The Chosen.
Friday
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Happy Cats toddler group meets Friday mornings at St Edmund's from 10am.
Saturday
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Readings: Exodus 33.12-End, Psalm 99*, Matthew 22.15-22.
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9.30am - Short 20-30min Communion Service at St Edmund's
10.30am - Communion at St Edmunds' and Service of the Word - Lay Led at St James'.
4pm - Grace Community |
Advance Dates
Please contact Revd Tom or Revd Kausar to share names you would like calling out and a candle lighting for.
Service Rotas
Please note a few tweaks will be made to these rota but this is always going to be the live new rota link.
Links to:
St Edmund's Next Rota - Sept 26-Jan 27>>
St James' Next Rota - Sept 26 - Jan 27>>