Please visit our Home page for our latest news about Services.

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(FIND OUR LATEST ACTIVITY SHEET HERE TOO)

We would like as many people as possible to have a go at our latest Activity Sheet. We aim to display at least 100 stars in the trees on our Church Drive over Christmas and are hoping these can be made before Friday 11th December. You'll need to scroll down to the bottom of the Home page.

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Join our online worship and access more resources

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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!

May God bless you and keep you and your loved ones in His peace,
David.

 

Revd David Robinson, Vicar of St. Matthew’s Church, Chapel Allerton
0113 2683072          revdavidrobinson@talktalk.net

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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InterACT WINTER SUPPORT NEEDED 
Could you help with any of these roles as we enter the Autumn and Winter season?

Contact Ness: vanessa@interact.uk.net 07961 535 767

Welfare Calls 
One-off phone calls or doorstep visits, signposting on or passing back to the team if you uncover ongoing support needs.
Telephone Befriending 
Regular and more structured phone calls, aiming to build a longer term support network. 
Parcel and gift deliveries 
Pick up and delivery of food parcels. These will be short distance journeys, but you will definitely need a car and be OK with a bit of lifting. We hope also to have some gifts (warm blankets, travel mugs) to deliver over the winter period and would love a team of people to help with this. 
Food Voucher Distribution 
Depending on the situation, the Council use supermarket vouchers to support people who are finding things difficult in the current climate. We need someone to help distribute these vouchers to those who are referred to us. This is a computer based role and needs a small amount of computer literacy.

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FOOD FOR InterACT
Please can you help. We are currently in need of: Sugar, Long life juice, Dilute juice, Jam, Puddings (esp if they can be microwaved), Custard, Tinned fruit, Tinned stewed steak and other tinned meat, Part baked bread, Crisps, Cake / bun mix / pastry / sweet treats, Toilet rolls, Washing powder / liquid, small jars coffee, long life milk, instant mash, size 6 nappies/ pull ups. Thank you.

Please take to Stainbeck Church rear entrance (Car Park) and press the buzzer. 
Mondays 9.30 - 10.30am
Wednesdays 1 - 2pm
Fridays 5.15 - 6.15

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PARISH PEN PALS - Stay Connected

As the Winter month’s approach and Covid restrictions are in place, we are mindful that keeping connected is all the more important. So if you find yourself with some spare time, would you like to become a Parish Pen Pal - Young and not so young are welcome to join.

Pens and pencils may be used to write a letter or draw a picture... use your talents and imagination! If you would like to be involved please contact Sue Sanderson and we will connect you.

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RHYTHM OF LIFE

Inspired by the work of religious communities, the initiative offers an opportunity for Christians to re-align and keep Christ at the centre of our daily lives. Speaking in support of the new discipleship venture, The Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds said, “During the Covid 19 crisis, we’ve had to adjust to very different rhythms of life. As Christians, we believe Jesus should be at the heart of our rhythms of life, whatever our circumstances. This will have a far-reaching impact on our own wellbeing and the good of others – on our loving, living and learning. I would like to invite you to join the diocesan ‘Rhythm of Life’ venture. This

will involve individual commitments, accessing resources and mutual support. Some key areas will be praying, encouraging, sharing, reflecting, celebrating, resting and creating. My prayer is that by taking these steps, we will experience more fully the ‘rhythms of grace’ promised by Jesus to all those who follow him.”
To get started, everyone is encouraged to read the quick start guide and invitation leaflet.
The Rhythm of Life DLP page includes further details and lots of suggested resources.

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SUDAN EMERGENCY APPEAL

People in the Diocese of Leeds have raised some £70,000 for the Church in Sudan, through an emergency relief Appeal. The appeal came against a backdrop of the worst monsoon seasonal floods in fifty years, political upheaval, economic collapse and the COVID-19 pandemic, all putting huge pressure on the people of Sudan. Reports from the five dioceses in Sudan say that the first set of funding provided help for over 750 families, including the disabled, widows, orphans and refugees. The money has also provided for people in refugee camps to get blankets and plastic sheeting to form shelters from the rain. Basic medicines such as aspirin and paracetamol have also been purchased and shared. The main agency of distribution has been the Mothers’ Union in the country, whose members last year took part in training about planning relief and development projects, and now have been putting those skills to good use. See link:. Please click here for more information and how to give 

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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.

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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

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ADVENT BOOK STUDY COURSE

The Lay Training team is running a four-week long Advent book study course focusing on Bishop Nick Baines' new book 'Freedom is Coming:From Advent to Epiphany with the prophet Isaiah'. The course will be taking place online via Zoom during the Advent season. The course will run across four online sessions on Wednesday evenings between 25th November - 16th December at 7pm - 9pm. While you will be encouraged to read the book in your own time during Advent, the course will provide an opportunity to build on, learn more, and discuss the contents of the book in greater depth. Ideally participants will purchase or have access to the book in advance of the first session and will read the book in parellel to the course. You can find out more information about the book and register a place for free on the DLP here.

Or please download Week One by scrolling down to the file on our Homepage (near the Activity Sheet).

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CHURCHES TOGETHER CHRISTMAS GREETING TO THE COMMUNITY

We are making a 2 minute video of  "O Christmas Tree"  If you'd like to take part by filming yourself (or your Christmas Tree) and by singing along, please email David Keighley, who will then email you the details and music file.  Please support us in this opportunity to greet our community. Your files required by Sunday 6th December.

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TOY COLLECTION

We will be collecting new toys at the Church Entrance on Sunday 13th December between 3-4pm to be distributed through St. George’s Crypt to those in need.

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LOCKDOWN PRAYER MEETING

St. Matthew's and Chapel Allerton Methodist Church Lockdown Prayer Meeting on Zoom every Thursday at 7.30pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85826522543?pwd= V1Z1ZHZyR1RYVzB1RHh3WkkwenJudz09

Meeting ID: 858 2652 2543 Passcode: 082985

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EXCITING NEWS of BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

We have been awarded a grant of £65,000 from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. This is to enable us to complete the re-plastering and decoration of the internal walls, to replace the North Aisle gutter and to re-point areas of the external walls where there is imminent danger of water penetration.
This is great news, and we are very thankful to our architect Richard Crooks for submitting the application for us. Over the past ten years (and more) we have been working hard, as finances have allowed, to make our building ‘Fit for Purpose’, especially to stop the damage being caused by water penetration. This grant will enable us to complete much of this work. However we do have to find 20% of the cost and as most of you know we have very limited reserves, and our income this year has been reduced significantly due to COVID.
The PCC has had a robust discussion and decided unanimously that this is an opportunity that is not likely to be repeated and therefore we should go ahead with this work. This will mean using most of our reserves. We have decided that we must keep £10,000 contingency for emergency repairs etc. We also need some £18,000 to pay out for VAT, which can later be reclaimed. So we need your immediate help. We need to obtain a total of £18,000 in loans from the congregation before we can accept the grant, which we must do in the next 10 days. The good news (again) is that we already have £8,000 of this pledged from PCC members. Please contact John Greenwood if you can help.
The work will be done through January-end of March next year.

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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.

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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. 

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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

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.
 

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To submit a notice, please contact the Vicar, David Robinson

 

(St. Matthew's Church is not responsible for content of external websites)

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