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
on the 3rd Sunday of the month.
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
Our Community Café is open again and is extending its hours to provide more of a Warm Space! Open Wednesdays 9am to 1pm and now serving a soup lunch as well. With these extended hours we really need some extra volunteers to help with the catering. Please do think about getting involved.
CALLING MUSICIANS!
Following on from the newly formed St. Matthews Church Music Groups’ performance at Christmas we are now looking to expand the group and play for the Palm Sunday Service April 2nd 10am.Parts can be written for all abilities from open stringed string players to 6 notes on woodwind instruments to those of you with more experience and skill. Please contact revsijones@outlook.com a.s.a.p if you are interested so that the group leader has time to arrange suitable music for you all, with details of your name, instrument and a rough guide to your ability. Please do consider joining them to make a “Joyful noise” as we worship together. Don’t be shy, dig out those instruments brush off the dust and rekindle your love of music to inspire others!
ST. MATTHEW'S GARDENING GROUP
are hoping to meet on Thursday 9th February around 10am. Please do consider if this is something you could offer some of your time for – the more the merrier and many hands make light work of maintaining the beautiful space around the church for all to enjoy. Experience not essential but please bring any gardening implements, if you have them. If you might be able to help, please contact Doug Pollock and join the WhatsApp for up to date info and last minute changes and to confirm if meeting on the Thursday morning or Tuesday afternoon, especially if new to the group.
SNICKET SQUAD LITTERPICKING
on Saturday 25th February from 9.30am. Meet outside St. Matthew’s. Text 07999 699200 to let us know you're helping (we'll get more grabbers) or to join the WhatsApp group to keep updated of changes (due to weather etc.) and suggest sites for future pickings. Not suitable for young children. More details from David Keighley.
THRIVE ZOOM AGM
Thrive Leeds is a partnership between St. Matthew’s and three other local churches which exists to work alongside children and young people in the local area. They 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. On Monday 27th February at 7.30pm they will be holding their AGM via Zoom and all at St Matthew’s are invited to join them to celebrate all that Thrive is and be encouraged by stories from the year. You will hear from the children and young people about what it means for them to be part of Thrive, as well as looking ahead to what the future may hold. If you would like to join the meeting please email Hannah Dey for Zoom login details and a copy of the accounts. (Scroll down for more about Thrive Leeds).
REFRESHMENTS TEAM
The new coffee rota starts in February and it would be great to have some more volunteers. If you can help 3 or 4 times a year to set up and serve refreshments after the Sunday service, please let us know. Thanks, Tina
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 URGENT APPEAL
Thank you to everyone who has brought donations of tins of tomatoes, tins of chickpeas and packets of rice in the past couple of months. There is still a shortage of enough food for the Asylum Seekers and Refugees who need their help at the moment. Please deposit these items in the green box at the back of Church. - Donating money - more details here.
Clothing - drop off any weekday between 10am and 4pm at St Vincent’s Support Centre, 4 Berking Avenue, Leeds, LS9 9LF Tel. 0113 248 4126
Any queries please contact Doug Pollock. Many thanks for your help.
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.
ST. MATTHEW'S ECO TEAM
We would like to encourage all our congregation to think about changes to their everyday living that could have a positive impact on the environment and the future of our planet. Our lifestyle Eco Top Tip for this week: Consider Serious Tissues for plastic free carbon neutral toilet paper made in the UK. Please visit.
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.
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.
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
OXFAM'S MOORTOWN SHOP
is currently looking for some fantastic new volunteers to join a great team. "Ideally, you’ll be able to provide 4-8 hours a week; but we're very flexible to people’s situations and exiting commitments!
Right now, we’ve got volunteer roles from Monday through Saturday, such as:
Till Operator, Donation and Pricing Volunteer, Online Shop Volunteer, Books & Music, Social Media, Shift Leader. Interested? Click here and type in Moortown. We’d love to hear from you!"
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)