Welcome to the Parish of Prenton

The summer holidays are finally upon us. For many people this is a time to slow down, take some time off and rest. It is also a time when we try to get all the things done that we haven’t had time to do in preparation for the run into autumn and winter.

This is true of the Church as well. We reduce the amount of meetings to give all the Office Bearers a break to recharge batteries – however this year we will be continuing to work behind the scenes planning and looking towards the future. Following our Annual Parochial Church Meeting and the adjustments to our services, we are in the process of re-structuring the committees in the church to try and spread the workload and increase our efficiency (or as someone said at a meeting a while ago “to maximise and to use to the best effect, our resources”). We are continuing to grow in so many ways and are constantly looking for people to assist us with all aspects of the life of this parish and community.

Part of this preparation also involves the planning and setting up of our next ALPHA course which will start towards the end of September and an Adult and Scholar confirmation course. The confirmation course is open to everyone, even if you have been confirmed and would like to attend as a ‘refresher’, and children from the age of 11 are eligible for confirmation. The confirmation service will take place on Ascension Day in May next year. For further details on any of these courses, please contact the Parish Office or speak to me.

I am reminded again of the passage of scripture from the Exodus 18:13-26 where Moses’ father-in-law speaks to him about the need to share the work load.

¹³ The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?"
 ¹⁵ Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. ¹⁶ Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and instructions."
 ¹⁷ Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. ¹⁹ Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. ²⁰ Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. ²¹ But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²² Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. ²³ If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."
 ²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. ²⁵ He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²⁶ They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

The more people that we have involved in doing the work in the parish the more we will be able to accomplish for God. This is how the Church as we know it has grown through the ages.

Ordination of Glynn Lautenbach
Over the past three years, Glynn has been studying through the Northern Ordination Course with lectures in Manchester, Mirfield and Wakefield. She has completed the degree course through Leeds University and will be ordained Deacon in Chester Cathedral on Sunday 13th July at 10.00 am. Following her ordination, Glynn will be licensed and serve her title as a Curate in the parish of Oxton.

This will be a new challenge for both of us as we have been worshipping together in the same church since we met in 1974. We would value your prayers during this time but especially for Glynn as she prepares for her ordination. We have her mother and my sister arriving from South Africa on Saturday 5th July for the ordination and they will be staying with us for a few weeks.

With love in Jesus

Wayne Lautenbach