Church Newsletter Issue #119 25th October 2026
📖 Bible Sunday – God's Word Shaping Our Life and Hope
This Sunday we celebrate Bible Sunday, giving thanks for the gift of Scripture and the way God's Word continues to shape our life together at St James' and St Edmund's.
We are a community that values the Bible not simply as something to read, but as God's living Word, inviting us to listen, respond and grow in faith.
Scripture has been central to shaping our vision for Dwell @ The Well, where we seek to create space for people to encounter Jesus, share life and discover hope. Each week, at our prayer meetings, we listen to the appointed readings and allow them to guide our prayers for our churches, communities and wider world.
This Sunday, Rhona from Maria's Care will join Julie at St Edmund's to help shape our fourth-Sunday intergenerational worship. Drawing inspiration from 1 Corinthians 12:12–27, they have some creative and interactive activities planned to help us explore Scripture together and discover something of God's vision for our life as a church family. Come ready to join in and be surprised!
As we continue exploring Leading your Church into Growth (LyCiG), Bible Sunday reminds us where renewal begins: listening to God's Word, responding in prayer and following Jesus together.
And that leads us into a fresh invitation to intentional prayer in the weeks approaching Advent.
Revd Tom
Let's pray with joy, trust with hope and grow together!
Hello All, I would like to invite you all "Overflowing with Joy, Hope and New Life intentional prayer group. For the next four weeks, leading up to the start of Advent the last one being Wednesday 25th November, we will join together on a Monday and Wednesday morning at 8am via zoom, link below. As we explore Leading Your Church Into Growth (LyCiG), grow Dwell@The Well and seek fresh ways to renew and invigorate St James and St Edmund's, let's begin with the joy of trusting God and discovering what new things the Spirit is stirring among us! Two mornings a week. One shared hope. A joyful expectation of new life!
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.” — Romans 15:13
Come and pray with us, we won’t be any longer than 20 minutes, and be intentional in praying as a family for our churches, our communities and the joyful possibilities ahead.
Come whenever you can — everyone is welcome. Click here to join the Zoom meeting>>
Revd Elizabeth, Revd Tom and Revd Kausar
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LIFE + HOPE | THE WEEK AHEAD |
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Sunday 25 October – Bible Sunday |
St Edmund's, Whalley Range
9.30am – Short Holy Communion
10.30am – Intergenerational / Youth Worship
St James', Moss Side
10.30am – Holy Communion
Grace Community at St Edmund's
4.00pm – Urdu-language worship |
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The Week Ahead – 26–31 October |
Monday 26 October
9.30am – Morning Prayer, St Edmund's |
Tuesday 27 October
9.30am – Morning Prayer, St James'
10.00am – Place of Welcome, St James' |
Wednesday 28 October
10.30am–12 noon – Coffee Morning, St Edmund's
Come for a chat, a hot drink and some indoor gardening as we plant bulbs together. Everyone welcome! |
Thursday 29 October
11.30am – Grieving Together Café, St James'
7.15pm – The Chosen, St Edmund's |
Friday 30 October
10.00am – Happy Cats Toddler Group, St Edmund's |
Saturday 31 October
5.30pm–7.30pm – Light Night at St Margaret's (see below) |
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Next Sunday – 1 November (All Saints') |
St Edmund's
9.30am – Short Service of the Word
10.30am – Holy Communion with Sunday School
St James'
10.30am – Service of the Word with Youth Provision
4.00pm – Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving
St James', Moss Side – remembering loved ones through readings, prayer, music and candles.
Grace Community at St Edmund's
4.00pm – Urdu-language worship |
Full worship teams and volunteer availability:
View our live service rotas » |
2026 LIGHT NIGHT! 🌟✨
When the nights grow darker, let's shine a little brighter!
🍂 Autumn is here! The evenings are drawing in, and with so much happening in our world, perhaps we all need a little more light, a little more joy, and a little more of one another.
💛 You're warmly invited to Light Night!
📅 Saturday 31st October
🕠 5.30–7.30pm
📍 St Margaret's Church, Rufford Road, Whalley Range, M16 8AE
Come along and enjoy:
✨ Sparkling lights and music
🎃 Pumpkin carving
🔎 A church treasure hunt
☕ Warming hot chocolate
🌭 Delicious hot dogs
❤️ Good company and community spirit!
🌟 Let's light up the night together! A celebration of light, life, faith and community.
📞 More information: 07769 644191
Everyone is welcome — bring your family, friends and neighbours!
The Maria's Care School Bus Has Arrived!
Wonderful news from Maria's Care in Uganda — their long-awaited school bus has finally arrived!
A huge thank you to everyone who helped raise funds by sponsoring 50 pupils and 11 staff from Maria's Care in the Kagulu Hiking Challenge in July 2025, and Julie, Charles, Oliver, Razieh, Roya and Meriel from St Edmund's, who took part in the 30th Anniversary Hike in May 2026.
The 16-seater Toyota HiAce minibus arrived on 5 October, bringing great excitement to pupils and staff. Their dream had finally come true! The school celebrated with joyful singing, prayers and thanksgiving.
The bus will help transport children from outlying villages to school each day. It can also be used for school trips and hired out at weekends and during holidays to generate additional income.
Watch the bus arrive » |
Watch the prayers for the bus »
Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible!
Meriel
🙏 Praying for Our Mission Partners – IEM and CMS
This week, please hold Indian Evangelical Mission (IEM), one of our mission partners, in your prayers.
Their latest newsletter shares continuing difficulties with restrictions on receiving financial support from overseas. Please pray that these barriers will be resolved, enabling their important work to continue.
There is encouraging news too, with new girls' and boys' hostels completed in north-east India. IEM now hopes to improve facilities at its Outreach Training Institute.
Please pray especially for:
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The removal of financial restrictions affecting IEM.
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Protection and encouragement for mission workers in India.
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New trustees and a treasurer for Friends of IEM, as long-serving members retire.
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Wisdom for their trustees meeting on 7 November.
Please also hold Marcio and Noemi, our Church Mission Society (CMS) mission partners, in your prayers at this time, asking God's blessing, strength and encouragement in their ministry and lives.
Big Quiz Night – Saturday 14 November, 6pm at St Edmund's
Fancy a quiz, a bowl of soup and some good company? We're joining Tearfund's Big Quiz Night on Saturday 14 November at 6.00pm, sharing a soup-and-bread meal and a fun evening together while supporting Tearfund's work to tackle extreme poverty.
Can you help make it happen? We need two quiz hosts, a refreshments team to help with soup and bread, and helping hands to set up and clear away the church. You don't need to be a quiz expert — Tearfund provides the quiz materials!
Please speak to Revd Tom if you can help, and invite friends and neighbours to come along.
Remembering Those We Love
Sunday 1 November | 4.00pm | St James', Moss Side
We warmly invite you to our Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving. Through music, readings, prayer and the lighting of candles, we will remember those we love who have died and give thanks for their lives. Whether your loss is recent or many years ago, you are welcome.
Help Shape Our Worship – Rotas & Volunteering
Worship is something we share together, and everyone has gifts to offer! As we put into practice what we've learned through Leading your Church into Growth, we want to encourage more people to take part in worship.
Whether you enjoy reading Scripture, leading prayers or helping with technology, there's a place for you. Thank you to everyone who already serves so faithfully — and if you're new to volunteering, we'd love to help you find your place.
Live rotas: St James' | St Edmund's LINK>>
Offer your availability: St James' | St Edmund's LINK>>
Leading Your Church into Growth – Let's Pray
Growth begins with prayer. We invite everyone across our churches to make this prayer part of their daily life:
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.
Is Confirmation Your Next Step?
We are exploring a Confirmation Service in 2027. Could this be your next step in faith? Confirmation is for young people and adults, with space to explore, ask questions and prepare together. No commitment yet — please speak to Tom, Kausar, Elizabeth or Solomon if you're interested.
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!!
Advance Dates
BBC Song of Praise invite
You are warmly invited to join us for a BBC Songs of Praise hymn recording at Christ Church West Didsbury.
We are looking for enthusiastic singers of all ages, so please do spread the word among your congregation, choir members, friends and local community.
