St. Matthew's Church. Wood Lane, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, United Kingdom LS7 3QF
07484 635886 revsijones@outlook.com or stmatthewschurch1900@gmail.com
Please visit our Home page for our latest news about Services.
Keep in touch - we will continue to produce our weekly bulletin (an abridged version of this page) available by ‘joining our mailing list’ from the link in the header above. Hard copies available.
Please tell others about this!
OUR WEBSITE IS CONSTANTLY DEVELOPING -
If you have any suggestions for improving it, please contact either Fred Rowland or David Keighley.
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.
UKRAINE CRISIS
WE PRAY for the people of Ukraine.
CAFOD has established an appeal to support them at this critical time.
UKRAINE CRISIS HELP VIA WHATSAPP
In an effort to bring locals together (church and non-church, intentionally agnostic) for ‘Homes for Ukraine’, a new community WhatsApp group has been created to share information, stories and encouragement. Group rules: 1) Be nice 2) No politics/religion." Feel free to join or not join
UKRAINE CRISIS
The Church of England has produced a toolkit for parishes responding to the Ukraine crisis, it has lots of good information which might be of interest.
SCRAMBLERS
takes place for children aged 3-6 during the 10am Communion Service
usually on the 3rd Sunday of the month. See Homepage
TEDDY PRAISE
a short informal pram service for pre-school children and their parents/carers, followed by craft/play and refreshments. We are always pleased to welcome new families. In the meeting room at 10am every Wednesday in term time.
COMMUNITY CAFÉ/WARM SPACE
Don’t forget our Community Café will be open every Wednesday 9am -1pm and now servers delicious soup lunches. Please come along and why not bring a friend too.
JUNE ECO TIP from A Rocha UK
Taste the benefits of seasonal and local food. Make plans to source locally grown foods that you can add to your diet/ shopping list throughout the seasons. Produce grown locally is picked at the peak of its ripeness and will be full of flavour, tasting better than the produce that has been imported and travelled thousands of miles. For more eco-tips, sign up to A Rocha UK’s Wild Christian email.
START COURSE
Starting on Monday 5th June at 7.30pm and running weekly (with a break between week 3 and 4) we will be running six evening sessions offering the opportunity for people to explore their faith in a relaxed and informal way. This is for anyone. From those who might not even think they have a faith to those who have perhaps been coming to church for a while but have not really stopped to think about why, or maybe wish to revisit that question. Please speak to Revd Simon if you would like more information or complete a sign-up form and come along and give it a go!
CAFÉ ECONOMIQUE
Tuesday 6th June 7.15 for 7.30pm start
‘Defending the right to seek asylum in the UK’
A talk by Mary Brandon, Campaigns Manager for Yorkshire and Humberside Asylum Matters
Join us for a talk to discuss the current situation for people seeking sanctuary in the UK, tracing the history of asylum in the UK and examining the impacts of the Government's host of new "anti-refugee laws", including the proposed Illegal Migration Bill currently making its way through Parliament. We will also look at how communities across the UK are fighting back against these laws to defend the right to seek safety, and the right to offer it, both in the UK and internationally.
Venue: Chapel Allerton Methodist Church, Town Street, LS7 4NB (entrance is opposite the Methodist Centre) £5 entrance fee to cover costs.
GARDENING GROUP
With spring well and truly here, why not think about joining St. Matthew's Gardening Group who meet every couple of weeks on a Tuesday between 1.30 - 3pm (weather permitting!) Help us to keep the church grounds neat and attractive. Our next session will be Tuesday 13 June, weather permitting. All welcome from keen gardeners to enthusiastic tidy-uppers +/- your gardening tools! Contact: stmatthewschurch1900@gmail.com
UKRAINIAN SINGING WORKSHOP
Please join us in Church on Sunday 18th June, when Svetlana Ryadchenko will lead a workshop giving us the opportunity to sing, and learn more about, Ukrainian traditional songs. Svetlana is a highly accomplished singer and choir trainer from Odesa, working with children and adult choirs in a wide variety of musical styles, and this promises to be an inspiring and informative afternoon. 1pm to 3pm. All welcome.
COMMUNITY CAFÉ
We are looking for volunteers to join the team who deliver our Community Café every week. If you would be interested in finding out more and how you might be able to serve your church by supporting this wonderful outreach ministry, please talk to either Simon or Helen.
COFFEE ROTA
Thanks to all those who help serve refreshments after the Sunday service. It would be great to have more volunteers on the rota. If you can help, please let us know. Thanks, The Coffee Crew.
SUMMER FAYRE
Our Summer Fayre will be a later summer fayre in September. Please let Simon or Helen know if you are interested in helping and they can give you details about the first planning meeting.
BELL RINGERS
The team are looking for new members. Have you got what it takes? Ringing is for anyone aged between 10 and 80 – all you need is to be able to climb a few steps to the ringing room and be able to stand and raise your arms aloft. Initial training would be at your convenience, secondary training would be on Friday evenings. Ringing before Sunday morning 10am service is desirable once trained. If interested - please contact Peter Oldfield, Tower Captain, or pop up when you hear us ringing.
PAFRAS (Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers)
have had a very busy start to 2023 supporting single people, couples and families with children, living in Leeds while awaiting a decision on an asylum claim. They distribute around 70 food parcels a week - almost entirely made up out of donations from supporters. However, every week they reach capacity and are forced to turn people away until the following week. Do you think we could help more please? Read their latest newsletter.
WYDAN NIGHT SHELTER
There are many opportunities to support WYDAN's Night Shelter, either behind the scenes (please contact Doug Pollock to find out more) or financially WYDAN's work financially (payment can be made online here)
View or download the latest Newsletter from the base of our Home Page
LEEDS NORTH AND WEST FOODBANK
still need your help collecting Emergency Food for local people in crisis. Tins of vegetables, fruit, soup, potatoes & tomatoes; instant mash, rice 500g, long-life fruit juice, sponge puddings, hot chocolate along with jams and spreads. Donations can be left in the collecting bins at Co-op Stainbeck Lane and Lidl Harrogate Road. Financial donations can be made via their website at Financial donations can be made here.
CHAPEL ALLERTON METHODIST CHURCH LUNCH CLUB
New members and volunteers welcome. Booking is essential. The 2 course lunch costs £5, and is served at 12.30pm. Transport can be arranged if needed. Please visit their website.
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.
THRIVE
Thrive Leeds are thankful for £10,000 Lottery grant towards establishing a youth base at Stainbeck URC. Fundraising efforts continue for premises to support youth outreach into this part of our parish. For details of Thrive activities, please see our latest newsletter here. Please continue to pray for this important outreach.
We have a fantastic group of young people who gather on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and are looking to grow the team as we meet again after lockdown. Could you help by...
- welcoming and showing an interest?
- preparing and sharing snacks?
- joining in discussions about faith and life?
- showing young people they are valued?
Totally Tuesday is for 9-12s and meets from 7-8pm.
WOW is for those 13+ and meets from 8-9pm on Wednesdays.
Thank you for the support that you give Thrive - we really appreciate you and how you encourage us!
A couple of ways that you can continue to support us:
By praying - let us know if you would like to join the Thrive prayer WhatsApp group.
By nominating us for the Co-op Community Fund - we are excited that Thrive Leeds have been chosen as one of the local causes for the Co-op Community Fund this year! The money raised will go towards exploring youth work in Meanwood (including the area in St. Matthew's' Parish) - empowering young people to take the lead and shape how things develop, as we build on our current work. If you are a Co-op member, you could nominate ThriveLeeds as your favoured charity. You can do this on the app or by ringing 0800 0686 727. If you're not a member yet, please become one and then nominate us! Check this out.
View or download our latest Newsletter from the base of our Home Page
Contact Hannah Dey or your church's Thrive Trustee (Helen Copeland)
if you would like to explore this opportunity. See our Annual Report.
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.
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
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 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”. Copies are available in paperback from publisher Darton, Longman and Todd ISBN 0232534896: or from St George’s Crypt Charity Shop on Street Lane. The illustrations are by the Leeds-based artist Si Smith. Roger also has "Sheltering Saints" book available ISBN 9781913657680.
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.
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.
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:
Revd. Simon Jones, Vicar, St. Matthew’s Church, Chapel Allerton
(by Tuesday evenings for the Bulletin on the following Sunday).
Email: revsijones@outlook.com
Mobile: 07484 635886
(St. Matthew's Church is not responsible for content of external websites)