News from St Mark's
Dates for your Diary : (see also "Regular Services")
Wednesday 8th February 12.30 pm Ploughman’s Lunch in the Community Centre
Wednesday 22nd February 12.30pm First Hunger Lunch, at Tina Wilson's home,
4 Penarth Place off Gough Way (366988)
7.30pm Ash Wednesday Service at Trumpington
Saturday 25th February 9.30 - 12.00 Coffee Morning in the St John Ambulance Hall
Wednesday 29th February 12.30pm Hunger Lunch, at Susan Wagner's home,
58 Gough Way (563435)
Sunday 18th March 7.30pm Bach’s St John Passion
More about Messy Church
Messy Church has now been running for two months and is proving very popular with young families. It takes place in church once a month on a Tuesday after school.
The families arrive from about 3.30 onwards and enjoy a drink and biscuits before activities begin at 4.00.
Each month there are eight to ten activities which are related to the theme of the month. In November the theme was “Jesus, light of the world”. Predictably, last month’s theme was “Messy Christmas”. Activities included painting, cutting and sticking. The children decorated candles with leaves and flowers and the Vicar led an activity to make “donkey dung” out brown icing sugar! For the very young, there are games and toys provided.
The activities continue until 5.00 after which there is a brief informal service. Last month everyone sang Christmas songs, Marguerite used the Godly Play figures to tell the Christmas story and then there were simple informal prayers.
At 5.15 an evening meal is served for everybody in the Chancel. In December this consisted of jacket potatoes with cheese, baked beans and coleslaw.
At 5.45 it is time to say goodbye and the families leave.
In November about 30 people, children and adults attended. Last month the number was over 50. The children range in age from small toddlers to 10 or 11. Parents are able to chat or to take part in the activities. As one mother said, it was a pleasure to have time to play with her child and to share in the activities.
If you think this is something you and your children would enjoy, why not come along on the 17th January?
Many thanks to Angela Watts who has given us this insight into Messy Church.
(P.S. If you’ve got tinies, and think Messy Church with a lot of older kids might be a bit overwhelming for them, don’t forget that we already hold ‘Mini-Messy Church’ on the first Saturday of the month at 11.00 am. Or you could come to both Messy Church and Mini-Messy Church!)
The Medaille Trust
Each year, St Mark’s gives £1,000 to The Medaille Trust. The trust was set up by Roman Catholic sisters of the order of St Joseph of Medaille, in cooperation with others (including the Salvation Army). Its work is the empowerment of women, young men and children, who have been freed from the human-trafficking industry here in the UK, enabling them to regain their dignity and self-worth. It does this by providing safe housing and offering opportunities for physical and psychological healing and rehabilitation, and by raising awareness of the plight of those who are enslaved and exploited in the sex-trafficking industry in the UK and by campaigning on this issue.
This year, with the Olympic Games coming to London, an increase in sex-trafficking into England can be expected, although many are working vigorously against it.
On the 22nd January we welcomed Sister Ann Teresa from The Medaille Trust to speak at our 10.00 am service, to keep us up to speed on this vital issue.
The Medaille Trust will be the beneficiary of The Bishop's Leny Appeal in March this year.
Maggie
Hunger Lunches for Umoja UK
Wednesdays from 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm during Lent
As in previous years, St Mark’s is arranging a series of “Hunger Lunches” on the six Wednesdays during Lent, starting on Ash Wednesday, 22nd February. The aim is to provide a simple meal consisting of soup, bread, cheese, fruit, etc., and those taking part will be asked to make a donation to charity. We need three more venues and could anyone, please, volunteer to host a meal in their own home, so that the burden doesn't fall on the same old stalwarts? It really isn't too burdensome and is actually fun! People greatly enjoy meeting friends and neighbours in a relaxed setting.
This year our chosen charity has a special link with St Mark's. In 2009 Emma, the daughter of Sue and Chris Wagner and who grew up in Gough Way, co-founded the charity Umoja UK (Umoja means Together in Swahili). Believing that education and empowerment are the key factors in tackling poverty, the charity's centre at Arusha in Tanzania offers one year programmes to give disadvantaged young people from slum areas the necessary skills to return to secondary school, continue further education, or start their own businesses. The need is great and funds are limited, so please do give them your support. Last year at St Mark's we raised the staggering sum of over £1,000 pounds for Camfed International. I wonder how much we shall manage this time?
Tina Wilson
Cambridge Food Bank:
The Food Bank is struggling to get sufficient food to meet demands. The PCC agreed that St Mark’s should contribute. Collections to be made on the second Sunday of each month to coincide with the charity of the month appeal. The kind of items needed include:
Tinned Vegetables, Tinned Meat and Fish, Tinned Fruit, Orange Juice, UHT Milk, Sugar, Tea , Coffee, Cereal, Sauces, Pasta, Rice, Packet Mash, Tinned Dessert, Jam, Biscuits, Snack Bars
There will be a box at the back of the church for donated food collecting on the second Sunday of each month. In the Narthex, there is a poster and leaflets listing more examples of the foods needed. As all food needs to be date stamped, this will exclude homemade jams etc.
Any queries to Rosie Gardiner (Tel. 01223 352 417) who is co-ordinating the church’s response.
