ST JOHN'S CHURCH HIGH LEGH - News

ST JOHN'S CHURCH HIGH LEGH

Licensing and Installation of Reverend Clare Leal as Vicar of St. John’s

23/2/2025

It may have still been a cold night on Monday 13th January, with snow still in evidence around the church and in The Avenue, but there was a great deal of warmth inside as we gathered for the service to install Reverend Clare as our Vicar.
The Bishop of Stockport, The Right Reverend Sam Corley, presided with Rev Paul Deakin, Rural Dean and Revd Canon Richard Walker, Canon Diocesan Chester Cathedral.

We were also delighted to welcome not only members of our own congregation, but Lord and Lady Grey (Lord Grey is Patron of St. John’s), visiting clergy, representatives of High Legh Parish Council, representatives of Churches Together Lymm and District and Councillor David Edwardes, Deputy Mayor of Cheshire East Council.

It was a wonderful occasion with several visitors commenting that they could really feel the joy! We pray that this new Chapter in Reverend Clare’s ministry in High Legh will be a fruitful and happy one.

Advent & Christmas at St John's 2024

3/1/2025

Our bi-annual Christmas Tree Festival was a wonderful start to the season with so many local organisations contributing to a wonderful display in the church. Thank you also to everyone who contributed to or volunteered to be on the rota for refreshments that were on offer throughout the weekend - delicious and much appreciated! As were the musical contributions on the Saturday. There was an amazing variety in all the offerings and much appreciated by all fortunate enough to hear them.

The festival concluded with a service of Advent Carols and worship, helping to focus our hearts and thoughts on the season to come. Thanks again to all who were part of the weekend.

The Crib Service on Christmas Eve, aimed at younger members of the parish was as always a lovely occasion - even if we were unable to accommodate a very young person's request for the 'Wheels on the Bus' everyone enjoyed the carols and bringing up their stars as part of our nativity display.

The service of Nine Lessons and Carols was very well attended with a full church and the readings undertaken by members of the High Legh Community. This service was, as has become customary, a signed service and we were very pleased to welcome many members of the deaf community. The choir were in good voice and it was delightful to hear Elizabeth's renditions on both wind and brass instruments.

Our all age service on Christmas Day saw our young people heloing to unwrap presents that helped us to connect with what the birth of Jesus means for us - a renewing of our relationship with God and his love and grace made manifest in the person of his son, Jesus.

Harvest Celebration 2024

16/10/2024

For a second year running St John’s Church joined the October Farmers’ Market at Abbey Leys Farm for our Harvest Celebration. It was a real joy to be able to give thanks, not only for all we have, but also for the local farmers and producers who work so hard to provide sustainable food for us. This year has been another challenging one, with the weather making for difficult growing conditions and it was a privilege to be out among the community for our service.

As well as harvest hymns, we presented and gave thanks for all the different elements of the harvest – the seeds, vegetables, fruits, cereals and flowers. Thanks to Janet and Tim, the barn looked beautiful and there was even tea and coffee after the service. This year the rain stayed away (mostly!) and the children enjoyed their impromptu seats made of hay bales!

A huge thank you to Janet and Tim for making us so welcome and allowing us to be part of the Farmers’ Market for Harvest.

Advent & Christmas at St. John's

30/1/2023

It was certainly a very busy and active time at St. John’s during Advent! As well as welcoming Clare as our new priest in charge there were a number of other special events and services.
The Christmas Tree Festival was a lovely community event with many beautifully and very differently decorated trees adorning the church, to say nothing of the decorations in the porch and the entrance to church. Held over 3 days on the first weekend of December, the festival attracted many visitors. There was also some wonderful music from individuals and choirs, including from High Legh Primary School. Thank you to everyone who decorated trees and the church, to all our visitors and to everyone who took part. A big thank you also to the organisers and volunteers.
On Wednesday 7th December a special service took place led by our Archdeacon, Ian Bishop, to dedicate newly created banners depicting the Christmas story. These beautiful banners were made over several months by members of our community and have adorned the church throughout Advent and the Christmas period.
Thank you to everyone who helped to decorate the church in readiness for Christmas. This year we had a combined Christingle and Crib service on Christmas Eve with readings from younger members of our community. This was followed by the traditional Nine Lessons and Carols in the evening. This service was signed, and we were delighted to welcome so many members of the deaf community as part of a full congregation. Thank you to everyone who contributed to these services.
On Christmas Day Rev Clare led our All Age Communion service where she was helped by two of our younger members of the congregation during her talk to unpack the meaning of Christmas from one of her recently used packing boxes!

Rev Clare is Licensed to St John's

12/12/2022

It was a very special occasion on Monday 5th December as Mark, Bishop of Chester and the Archdeacon, Ian Bishop visited St. John's to license and install the Reverend Clare Leal as our new Priest-in-Charge.

The church was full as members of our congregation and community as we welcomed Clare, along with her family and friends, to begin her ministry with us. It was great to see so many different organisations from our community represented.
It was a very joyous evening and we will continue to pray that Clare's ministry here in High Legh will be blessed and fruitful.
Welcome, Clare!

The Death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll

28/9/2022

What historic events we have lived through in September. The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll has brought a time of thanksgiving for her incredible life of duty and service. It has also meant a time of reflection and sadness. At St. John’s the flag has been flown at half-mast for the period of mourning and the church was open to give members of our community an opportunity to take time to reflect and to sign the book of condolence. On Sunday 18th September, the day before the State Funeral, there was a service of Holy Communion during the period of mourning for the Queen. The service, attended by many of the Parish Council, contained appropriate readings and prayers for the Queen, the Royal Family in their time of grief and prayers for King Charles lll. The service was led by the Revd Jane Parry who gave the following sermon.

‘Evening will come, however determined the late afternoon’
…so begins the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage ’s tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second…
These few words reflect the certainty that we are ever moving forward, not able to cling to the past, nor to hold on to the present moment, there is only the future, and what is to come, will indeed come.
We knew for some time that Her Majesty was ill and was declining in health and knew in our heart of hearts that she would probably not have long for this world. Indeed, since the death of her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, the duties of state seemed to have weighed very heavily on her well-being. So though being immensely sad, we were not perhaps totally surprised at her passing.
Sudden unexpected deaths leave us confused and bewildered, but even those deaths that are nearing inevitability still leave us feeling deeply and profoundly bereft. Nothing can really prepare us for living in a world without the one we loved, the one we cared for and about, the one we respected and admired and them being no longer a part of our lives.

‘Grief is the price we pay for love’ said Her Majesty, ‘Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical, and spiritual necessity; the price we pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.’

When I am beside those coming to the end of their life, they will so very often say to me ‘I don’t want them (my family) to be sad, I don’t want them to grieve…’ But grief isn’t about those who have died, it is about us the living and how we cope without that person present in our lives. We, the living, have a right and a need to grieve – Jesus showed this at the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35) and we can take comfort in knowing the grief of death that is in the heart of our God.

We will all have memories of Her Majesty over many years – some will have had the privilege of meeting her in person, some being at an event in which she was in attendance, we will all have seen her and have memories of seeing her on television and read about her in books and newspapers, these recollections of own can only scratch at the surface in recalling the spirit in which Her Majesty lived her life… let us take a few moments of silence as we remember in thanksgiving and gratitude for Her Majesty Queen Elizabth the Second…

God of mercy and all consolation, come close to those who mourn. Comfort them in assurance of love that never dies; bless them in happy memories of the past; give them strength in all that is to come, with trust in the Resurrection that gives them union now and forever with those they have loved, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Revd Jane Parry

Announcement about a new vicar for St. john’s

1/9/2022

We are very pleased to tell you that an appointment, subject to all formalities being fulfilled, has been made for a new vicar at St. John’s High Legh.

This is, as advertised, a part time post of 2.5 days a week, plus Sundays.

Our new incumbent, Clare, is moving to join us from Oxfordshire.

As a PCC and as a congregation, we have been praying that God would help us to see a way forward and that someone would feel called to lead us at St. John’s. We are truly grateful that Clare has heard God’s call and we will be sharing more details about the appointment in due course.

We hope that, as a community, you will join us in welcoming Clare to High Legh when the time comes.

With every blessing

St. John’s PCC

Time to say “Goodbye”

3/2/2022

Its not easy saying “goodbye” but it happens all through life.

There are sad goodbyes when we lose someone close to us and there are the goodbyes when people move on in life. Of course, I am talking about the retirement of our three clergy and by the time you read this Reverends Philip and Patricia will be concentrating on refurbishing their new home near Leek.

Reverend Trish, on the other hand, will have retired from her role as Associate Priest and will step back from her duties at St. John’s. Trish will still be around as a Priest and will have the title of P.T.O which means Permission to Officiate. We will be able to ask her to come and take the occasional service whilst we await the appointment of a new clergy.

Over the last six years St. John’s has been part of a United Benefice with Rostherne with Little Bollington and Over Tabley. We would like to thank our clergy for ministering to us during this period and especially over the last two years, when we have been in and out of lockdowns due to the Covid pandemic. They have all embraced technology to make sure we have held a service every week.

We also wish Trish and John a long and happy retirement doing all those things they would have liked to have done but never had the time.

“The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you. The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6.24-26

Stewart -Church Warden & Pastoral Worker

Hope Journey Nativity

10/1/2022

High Legh Primary School, along with three Lymm schools, attended this event held on 3rd December at Lymm Methodist Church. Chris, Trish and Stewart helped with the event which is organised through Churches Together in Lymm and District. All the children followed a journey around several rooms to meet the Angels, shepherds, innkeeper & donkey, wise men and – of course – Joseph, Mary and a real live baby!

Here is Stewart as “Seth” the shepherd! Roger is “David” – the other shepherd on duty that night.

St. John's Christmas Tree of Hope

10/1/2022

The support shown to the Hope Centre and its work with the people of Partington has been tremendous. Goods have continued to be donated and we have sent several boxes at various times to them. The Tree of Hope has been really well supported and over £300 has been donated so far to support the special work of the Hope Centre and the Hideaway in providing Christmas gifts and dinners along with assistance for heating and other Christmas essentials. Along with the money, tens of Christmas wishes were also sent on our Christmas stars.

Supporting the Hope Centre has enabled members of our congregation who are unable to attend church at the moment to continue to feel part of the church by participating in the mission of this church to show our care for those who are in need.

We will continue to collect the following items in 2022:

Tinned items: vegetables, beans/spaghetti, fruit, tomatoes, meat.
Snacks: biscuits, cereal bars, crisps.
Drinks: tea, coffee, juice, long-life milk.
Other: rice, condiments, baby food/milk, cat and dog food.
Non-food items: Nappies, baby wipes, toiletries