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Wonderful News!

We are open for public worship twice a month. We will keep the 10.30 am online services as our main worship each week (though we are conscious that not everyone is in a position to access these), but we will also have live services twice a month in church at which a congregation will be present, with appropriate social distancing and other safeguards.

The live services will take place at 3.00 pm on the first and third Sundays of the month

We will not be permitted to sing, chat with each other or enjoy a cup of tea or coffee after a service. We urge anyone who is at all vulnerable on age or health grounds not to take undue risks in attending services. If you intend to come to these services you will need to book:

Book here for Sunday 20th June

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Zoom coffee meeting after Sunday online service  Imogen has very kindly hosted this for a very long time now, and it is time we let her have time off for good behaviour! If you could join a rota to host – there is a SAPLC Zoom account you can use - please contact Imogen (imogen.clout@btinternet.com) or Janet (j.loughridge@sheffield.ac.uk). It would be good to have enough people that no-one would be over-burdened!

 

 

Foodbank and Baby Basics

Firvale Foodbank and Baby Basics are still desperately in need of help, so that they can help the most vulnerable members of society. If you are able to give anything, donations can be dropped off at the following addresses – why not combine donating with your legal daily exercise? 

Food Bank

Donations can be left at the rear of 16 Edgehill Road, S7 1SP, in the Church when it is open for live worship or for private prayer on Thursday mornings from 10.00 am – 12 noon or in the Church Office on Thursday morning between 10.30 am and noon (The Office is closed at other times during this lockdown). Fir Vale continue to take referrals and just under 100 people are being supported. Food and cash donations are welcome. Food is especially welcome. The Food Bank particularly need pasta, rice, UHT milk, toiletries and toilet rolls, but are ever grateful for canned goods.

If you would like to give cash, you can donate here, or you can send a cheque made out to St Cuthbert’s (write Fir Vale Food Bank on the back) and send to Joe Dey at 16 Edgehill Road, S7 1SP, who will hand it over when he delivers to the Food Bank at St Cuthbert’s.

 

 

Baby Basics   

Baby Basics have recently opened their 50th Centre, which is good news for those in need but a sad reflection of life at the moment. The Sheffield Centre is no longer big enough to store the goods that are sent on to the other centres. There is a fundraising campaign to raise £50,000 to rent more space in Sheffield for the UK distribution of items and to pay a member of staff to co-ordinate the work. If you feel you would like to contribute to this you can do so here. 

Gifts, especially nappies, toiletries and hand-knitted items (cardigans and jumpers for 2-5 year olds rather than babies if possible), and the following items for 2-5 years are always in short supply: pyjamas, underwear, socks, tights and warm trousers/jogging bottoms for boys and girls. 

Donations can be left in the basket at 51 Barkers Road, S7 1SD, in the Church when it is open for live worship or for private prayer on Thursday mornings from 10.00 am – 12 noon or in the Church Office on Thursday morning between 10.30 am and noon (The Office is closed at other times during this lockdown); cash donations should be put through the letter box. If Pat is away she will remove the basket from her front door step and she asks that items aren’t left at her door if the basket is not there. If you have something you can put through the letter box, that would be alright. The Facebook page also has information about donating via their Amazon wishlist. Donations can be left in the box at 51 Barkers Road, S7 1SD; cash donations should be put through the letter box. Pat would be able to collect donations if you cannot get them to her – telephone her on 2014881 if you would like to donate this way. You can also now donate online.

We are grateful to all the very kind people who are taking these donations to where they are so desperately needed. 

 

 

 

Three saints in one week!  St Boniface on 5^th June, St Columba on 9^th June and St Barnabas on 11^th June.

As Jenny Carpenter says, “quite a trio!” Anthony told us about St Boniface in the online service on 6^th June and Jenny talked about St Barnabas in the service in church that afternoon. So here is some information about St Columba to complete the set.

St Columba’s Day is significant this year as it is the 1500^th anniversary of his birth on 7 December 521 AD (his Saint’s Day is actually the anniversary of his death).

An Irish nobleman, he is believed to be the great grandson of the famous 5^th century Irish High King, Niall of the Nine Hostages. Following his education, Columba became a deacon in the church. He was eventually banished from his beloved homeland Ireland as a penance for going against the King’s wishes and starting a feud (over a holy book!) that eventually ended in a battle in which many on both sides were killed.

1 O God, thou art the Father
of all that have believed:
from whom all hosts of angels
have life and power received.
O God, thou art the maker
of all created things,
the righteous Judge of judges,
the almighty King of kings.

 

2 High in the heavenly Zion

thou reignest God adored;
and in the coming glory
thou shalt be Sovereign Lord.
Beyond our ken thou shinest,
the everlasting Light;
ineffable in loving,
unthinkable in might.

 

3 Thou to the meek and lowly
thy secrets dost unfold;
O God, thou doest all things,
all things both new and old.
I walk secure and blessèd
in every clime or coast,
in name of God the Father,
and Son, and Holy Ghost.

 

 

Sheffield Hospital Sunday Fund  We have received a letter from the Sheffield Hospital Sunday Fund to inform us that the Trustees have regretfully decided that after 150 years the time has come to wind up this small local charity. The letter ends with “We very much appreciate the support you have given over the years and hope you will keep the spirit of Hospital Sunday going in any way you find appropriate”

 

 

Christian Aid Week  Thank you to all who helped and donated to Christian Aid Week. Our grand total paid in was £2010,  which is magnificent under the circumstances. This was made up of

Cheques                        £950

Just Giving                     £750

Via Church account       £310

TOTAL                          £2010

 

Thank you, Caroline Cripps

 

 

Walking for spiritual health  A message from the Head of Chaplaincy at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals:

Hello,

My name is Lindsay van Dijk and I have recently started as the new head of chaplaincy at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. My team and I are currently raising awareness during mental health awareness month for our staffs mental and spiritual health. We are preparing to walk 100 meters per staff member (18,000) to raise awareness of how important it is that we all take care of our mental and spiritual health and recognise the challenging times staff NHS have been through. 

We hope to raise funds through Sheffield Hospitals Charity to provide spiritual and mental health resources including the refurbishment our multi-faith and belief spaces to allow staff to have another breathing space away from their day-to-day work. 

I am contacting you today to see whether you can help in out endeavours to promote the spiritual health of staff through sharing this through your community networks, or-if you can- spare some funds to donate. I would love to discuss the possibilities further with you about how we can connect to make this a shared success. 

More information and the donation link can be found here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Warm regards,

Lindsay van Dijk

Head of Chaplaincy

 

 

 

All We Can newsletter  The All We Can newsletter is now available for May. You can sign up for the monthly email at AllWeCan.org.uk.

 

 

Sheffield Church Action on Poverty May Update  Click here to read the latest update

 

 

Lay Leadership Skills  A training day exploring leadership for lay people working in the Methodist Church: youth; children; family; and community leaders; class leaders; lay missioners; and local pastors. Exploring the themes of:

• Leadership styles and skills

• Leading meetings

• Managing volunteers and Encouraging participation

• Team and group dynamics

Thursday 25th June 2021 from 10.00 am

Registration is required and places will be limited to 20, so please book in early.

 

MHA  MHA has been shortlisted for a £62,000 grant from the LNER Customer & Community Investment Fund. We need as many people to vote for us using the link below. Please share as widely as you can, every vote counts to get us through to the next stage. Watch our video to see our plans to use the funding to support our residents and members. Please vote here for MHA under the Mental Health theme. 

 

 

Connexion Magazine  Many of you are likely to be in the mailing list for the Connexion Magazine. The latest issue features two familiar names from our District: Rachel McCallam and Revd Inderjit Bhogal. If you haven't received a copy – you can read it online here.

 

 

Friends of Whirlow Brook Park  The newly formed Friends of Whirlow Brook Park (FOWP) are holding an open consultation meeting to engage local people and other interested parties to seek views and ideas on what you would like to see in the Park and Gardens on 19 May 2021 any time between 4 and 8pm at Whirlow Brook Hall (S11 9QD). Please come along and find out more. Info from friendsofwhirlowbrookpark@gmail.com or Facebook@friendsofwhirlowbrookpark

 

 

Nether Edge Fair  The Nether Edge Fair is a runaway success! With more than 195 stalls and over 5,000 visitors, it is THE place to buy presents and treats for yourself and others. Profits from the stall fees go to charity, so everyone wins! You can browse and shop here, and please spread the word to everyone you know and help local independent businesses. Jean Allen

 

'Clare's Clever Cards'  Visit this stall in the Eco-Charity section of the Nether Edge Fair to see what Clare Loughridge does with the cards you so kindly pass on to her. If you fancy buying anything you see, you can contact her at clareloughridge49@gmail.com  - and 50% of the price will be donated to SAPLC.

 

 

We need your help!  2020 was a tough year for us all, but for St Andrew’s Psalter Lane Church it was particularly tough financially. Our income dropped dramatically when we had to stop hiring out rooms in Shirley House due to the lockdown, but unfortunately our outgoings increased – our wonderful online services cost about five times as much to make as a ‘normal’ Sunday morning service would! There is also a lot of important repair work to be done on both the church and Shirley House, which will eat into our reserves even more.

Many of you have been incredibly generous with your donations over this time but unfortunately we need to ask again – please give what you can to help us keep producing our online worship and keep our buildings in good repair.

There is a variety of ways in which you can give – if you want to make a one-off donation, the easiest way may be to donate online here. You can also choose to give regularly on this page.

Alternatively, you can pay money directly into the church bank account:

Account name St Andrews Psalter Lane

Sort code 05-08-08

Account number 36930499

OR send a cheque made out to St Andrews Psalter Lane Church to the Church Office, Shirley House, 31 Psalter Lane, Sheffield S11 8YL. You can find a Gift Aid declaration to fill in here, if needed.

If you are able to, a regular donation makes it easier for us to budget our income and outgoings – please contact our Giving Secretary, Rodney Godber (rodney.godber@btinternet.com) to set up a Standing Order. The Envelope Scheme is another way to give regularly – see the separate notice in this newsletter for more information.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

 

Giving Envelopes  Members who use the giving envelope scheme to give regularly can collect their numbered envelopes for 2020 from the table in the narthex on Thursday mornings when the church is open for private prayer.  If you do not give to the church through the envelope scheme or by bank standing order, please have a word with Rodney Godber (rodney.godber@btinternet.com) who will explain how this makes your giving to the church easier and more beneficial. If you wish to join the envelope scheme, please contact Janet Loughridge (j.loughridge@sheffield.ac.uk)

 

Methodist podcast  Have you discovered the weekly Methodist Podcast? Available here and on most audio streaming services. Half an hour of inspiring stories, emerging ideas and latest news from across our national church. 

 

Sheffield Interfaith news Visit the Sheffield Interfaith website for news on what they are doing. 

Please also note this post about getting the Zoom links for their events.

 

 

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Help Needed!

(Not necessarily an accurate representation of a Working Party!)

 

A message from John Cripps:

'Thank you to those who came to the Working Party on Saturday 5th June - the next Working Party will be on Saturday 3rd July.
Everyone is welcome to come on Saturday, or to carry out gardening tasks at other times convenient to them.  The compound has a new lock and that and the tool box have combination padlocks.  Please ask me (01142 588932, 07914 290016, cripps@uwclub.net) if you want to know the combination and if you open either lock, please take care the combination is set correctly before closing it. The tool box contains the mower, strimmer and some small tools and there are additional tools in the cellar.'

 

 

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