St. Matthew's Church. Wood Lane, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, United Kingdom LS7 3QF
0113 808 5798
Please visit our Home page for our latest news about Services.
(FIND OUR LATEST ACTIVITY SHEET HERE TOO)
The theme is 'Forward' and the activity making a rocket from a milk bottle and card.
There will only be one more Church activity sheet - at the start of June.
Join our online worship and access more resources
Keep in touch - we will continue to produce our weekly bulletin (an abridged, hard copy version of this page) available by ‘joining our mailing list’ from the link in the header above.
Please tell others about this!
OUR WEBSITE IS STILL DEVELOPING -
This is our (fairly) new and evolving website. Thanks to Fred Rowland for setting this up. The content is still being edited and any comments welcome to Fred or David Keighley.
CHURCHES TOGETHER IN CHAPEL ALLERTON AND MEANWOOD
It was recently decided that we would seek agreement from our individual churches to recognise the climate and environmental emergency and jointly resolve to take action to combat this. The document will be discussed at PCC next week. If you would like a copy of the proposal or wish to join our growing Eco group please contact Sue Rusholme.
SUPPORTING GOOD MENTAL HEALTH
a booklet produced by the Church of England. You can read thirteen daily reflections written by Professor Chris Cook and accompanied by "have a go" habits developed by Ruth Rice.
The effects of mental health problems are huge. Nearly nine out of ten people with mental health problems have been affected by stigma and discrimination. Given the challenging times we are living in with coronavirus, the reflections in this booklet were updated and new resources written in March 2020. They seek to provide hope, reassurance and comfort. If you want to speak to someone, please visit the Mental Health Foundation website, which has lots of helpful resources and contacts. Visit www.mentalhealth.org.uk
PLANNED GIVING
If you would like to contribute to the upkeep of our beautiful building and make it a place for worship, meetings, drama and music. Please help by making a regular payment to our scheme this is to help with our charitable giving and payment of the various bills we have to pay to keep this building in good working order, for all that seek to find God and also help our local community and those less fortunate.
Please use the attached form by clicking the donate button this will take you to our donation form which you can then fill in. And if you are a UK tax payer please consider gift aiding your contribution this will not affect your pocket, but the Tax Man will give us .25p for every £1.00 you give us. Thank you in advance and remember click donate.
PLEASE LET US KNOW
if you are aware of anyone from Church who is poorly, or become housebound or in need of some support, and especially those in hospital, and if you yourselves are going to hospital, so that the Pastoral Visiting Team can arrange for someone to visit. Please contact any of the staff team.
FOOD FOR InterACT
Please can you help. We are currently in need of: breakfast cereal; tuna; instant mash potato; microwave puddings; tinned fruit; Easter eggs Thank you.
We will be able to accept food at the following times and venues.
Mondays: 9am -10am, Holy Trinity Community Hall, Memorial Drive, LS6 4LF. Please use the main door, which is the one facing the Church).
Wednesdays: 9.30 -10.30am, Holy Trinity Community Hall.
Wednesdays: 1- 2pm, Stainbeck Church, Stainbeck Road, LS7 2PP. Please use back door accessible from the car park and use the door buzzer).
NOW BY APPOINTMENT ONLY* Fridays 5-6pm, Stainbeck Church. (*text or call Vanessa, 07961 535 767)
Thank you Visit InterACT website
CHRISTIAN AID WEEK - 10th - 16th May
Thank you to everyone who delivered envelopes this week, and to Doug who coordinated St Matthew’s volunteers in collaboration with CAMC’s Jenny and Andy Firth. Thank you.
THY KINGDOM COME
Thursday 13th - Saturday 23rd May
A global prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray from Ascension to Pentecost for more people to come to know Jesus. Find out more here.
DIOCESAN SYNOD
Ever wondered about Church governance? How policy is decided? A new synod is to be elected. Would you consider standing? Meeting 4 times per year. Ask Sue Rusholme for more details. Nominations close Thursday 20th May.
ST. MATTHEW'S WALKING GROUP
Saturday 22nd May- Meet outside St. Matthew's for a 10.15am start. A socially-distanced walk taking in Gledhow Valley Woods and up to Roundhay, mainly on tracks and paths; some parts may be muddy if it has been wet. There will be some uphill/downhill sections, mostly with steps rather than sloping ground. Maximum 30 people. Please contact Nick directly if you would like to come on this walk. Once you have booked a place, please let Nick know if you find you cannot come. Thank you.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
will be held immediately after our PENTECOST SERVICE which will be held on Zoom at 10am on Sunday 23rd May. Election of officers will take place. Advance Papers (Accounts and reports) will be available in Church from Sunday 2nd May. Please visit the Homepage to request the documents.
Meeting ID: 861 1339 1727 Passcode: 064471 Thank you.
WEST YORKSHIRE DESTITUTE ASYLUM NETWORK - FUNDRAISING APPEAL 2021
To help fund WYDAN’s current project to provide emergency accommodation for destitute asylum seekers, who have no recourse to public funds. For the last 6 years WYDAN have provided night shelter accommodation and support for this needy cohort of our community, chiefly through the commitment of churches and their communities. Now, since COVID-19 risks and restrictions have made dormitory style accommodation impractical, WYDAN have been assisted by Public Health to set up and operate this emergency accommodation via at least two houses of multiple occupancy.
Providing emergency accommodation in this way is far more expensive than the night shelter model, hence the urgent need to appeal for additional funding in financial year 2021-22. Please support this appeal by one of the following three ways:
1) using the link to online donations
2) directly to WYDAN’s bank account no 20323123. Sort code 60-83-01
3) by cheque (payable to WYDAN) posted to WYDAN,
c/o Andrew Rathbone, 256B Burley Road, Leeds LS4 2LA.
For more information contact Doug Pollock
HOME SCHOOLING (from Libby Kennedy)
If you, or anyone you know needs advice on home schooling primary school aged children, please get in touch. I can offer assessments, catch-up lessons, materials to work from, teaching tips for parents or just a chat for reassurance and ideas. Please contact Libby Kennedy.
THRIVE
Thrive Leeds is a partnership between four local churches which exists to work alongside
children and young people in the local area. We work with 0-18 year olds and their families, and love to give space for them to gather together, find support and friendship, feel valued and think through faith and things that are important to them. Have a look at our latest newsletter here.
InterACT
We believe communities are important: they give us belonging, human contact and shape our identity. And we believe that we all have something to learn from one another. Getting to know one another is a pretty important part of community, so when we began as a project around 15 years ago, we were all about meeting other people - mainly through creative arts activities. Since then, we've expanded what we do a little, reflecting the needs and passions of our local area. However, the vision remains to bring people together from across the various neighbourhoods that make up and connect to Meanwood, so that we all have opportunity to share in what it offers, what we can learn from one another, and what we can give. As a partnership of 5 local churches, we seek spiritual wellbeing and fullness of life for all. And because we work alongside other agencies in the area, we are able to signpost people to other services where needed. Our Official Vision Statement:
Hearing Christ’s call to unity and recognising that we are stronger together than we are apart, the Partnership seeks to:
Work together to demonstrate God's love in word and actions
Serve and witness in Meanwood and beyond.
Work with other agencies in reaching out to our local communities.
FROM DARKNESS INTO LIGHT
We want to share the light with all our community.
Our beautiful building already provides:
- Night Shelter for destitute asylum seekers.
- Performance space for youth musical theatre.
- Community Cafe.
- Bookable Meeting Room and Kitchen for local groups.
- Classical concerts with opportunities for amateur participation.
- Welcome for our local schools
as well as a place of Worship and Prayer.
When we can open up again, we would love to have enough light for all of this, but our current lighting system is quickly fading. Please consider making a donation if you can.
THRIVE LEEDS From Hannah, Helen and the trustees.
Thank you for partnering with Thrive Leeds to love and serve children, young people and families locally - it is wonderful to do this together as four churches, so thank you for being one of them!
Please visit our website where you will find a recent newsletter, which tells the story of the year so far. It has been our first year as Thrive Leeds - after 14 years as Chapel Allerton Youth Project - and it has been quite a year for all of us! Please have a read and see what we are up to together as churches locally.
It includes some things to pray for: For children, young people and families as they navigate their way, with all that there has been to mark, celebrate and grieve. For wisdom as we make decisions about how we gather and spend time together again, and that we would hear God’s voice. For those young people who have a transition to make and had a disrupted end to primary or secondary school, or sixth form.
And a particular need, which we'd love to see met so we can keep growing the WOW group: two leaders to help with WOW, as we’re welcoming a large group up from Totally Tuesday. The group are aged 12-15 and meet from 7:30-9pm on a Wednesday night, spending time hanging out and being part of a small group. No prep required, unless you’d like to – just turn up and get involved. Please get in touch if you’re interested in this.
Thank you for your support financially, prayerfully, with time and encouragement - we appreciate you.
From Hannah, Helen and the trustees.
FABRIC COMMITTEE
As we begin to return into our wonderful Church building, we are very grateful for those who keep the building maintained. Every five years our architect produces a report on the condition of the fabric and there is a list of jobs that need doing, now or in the next few years. We need to plan to do these jobs. At the moment Fred Rowland and Colin Powell (thank you Colin) are doing this by themselves. We need others to join them. Please have a word with me or Fred. Let’s keep our wonderful building in good order now and for the future. David Robinson.
ROGER QUICK "Entertaining Saints"
Some of us remember that Revd. Roger Quick was curate of St. Matthew’s from 1996-2000. Since 2013 he has been Chaplain to St George’s Crypt, the homeless charity in Leeds which St. Matthew’s has supported for many years. Roger has now written a book about life in the Crypt, called Entertaining Saints. He describes every day as being a mixture of laughter and tears. The new Archbishop of York has written the foreword, in which he describes Roger’s book as “Vivid and engaging”. Due to be published in September, pre-publication copies can now be bought on Amazon. Please follow the link. The illustrations are by the Leeds-based artist Si Smith.
FINANCE MATTERS
We give thanks that we have received a legacy of some £12,000. This has enabled us to pay for the repairs to our central heating boiler, our organ blower motor and essential roof repairs. However we have still fallen short of the income we require to pay our full commitment to the Diocese, called Parish Share. We have made every effort in the last three years to do so but this year we will be short. This underlines our need to increase our regular giving. Thank you for all those who responded to our ‘Seeds for Growth’ stewardship. We need to continue to build up our regular giving and if you can help, please do so. Further information from Martin Smith (Head of Finance), John Greenwood (Treasurer) or David Robinson
DAILY HOPE
The Church of England has launched a free national phone line as a simple new way to bring worship and prayer into people’s homes. ‘Daily Hope’ offers music, prayers and reflections as well as full worship services at the end of a telephone line. The line – which is available 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044.
FOODBANK
has a Collection Point at the Co-op in Chapel Allerton. It is a large blue plastic wheeled basket by the exit doors. Please can you leave an item or two from the following list. MILK (UHT OR POWDERED), LONG LIFE FRUIT JUICE, TINNED SOUP, PASTA SAUCES, TINNED-SPONGE PUDDINGS, TOMATOES & VEGETABLES, RICE PUDDING, CEREALS, TEA BAGS/INSTANT COFFEE, INSTANT MASHED AND TINNED POTATOES, TINNED: MEAT/FISH, FRUIT, SPAGHETTI.JAM, BISCUITS, SNACK BARS, CLEANING PRODUCTS, SOAP AND TOILET ROLLS.
Financial donations can be made by visiting https://leedsnorthandwest.foodbank.org.uk
PAFRAS
We continue to support Asylum Seekers through our gifts of food for PAFRAS – thank you for your donations of food.
IBY KNILL
If you would like to order Iby's book ‘The Woman with Nine Lives’ or her first book, now in it's tenth reprint, 'The Woman Without a Number', please search for Iby's publisher's website.
STRUGGLING WITH DEBT?
Free debt counselling for everyone from an award winning charity. This service has recently expanded to cover our area, with sponsorship from Chapel A Baptist Church. If you know anyone who would benefit from this expert service, please ask them to call free on 0800 328 0006.
EVENTS
If you would like to hear about upcoming social events at St. Matthew's (including Loose Women and Men on the Loose), please send your contact details to eventsatStMatthews@yahoo.com to be put on the mailing list. Thanks, Tina.
To submit a notice, please contact the Associate Priest Sue Rusholme
(St. Matthew's Church is not responsible for content of external websites)