LOCAL MINISTRY TEAMS
WALT - WORSHIP AND LEARNING TEAMS
Worship and Learning are vital aspects of the life of the church. At St. Luke's, the Worship and Learning Team, WaLT, meets several times a year to review these areas. Consideration is given to planning for special services, such as 'Songs of Praise' and special occasions such as Christmas and Easter. Opportunities for learning may take the form of house groups or open discussions and several series of meetings have been held in recent years. The recent Question Time evening, entitled 'Believe it or Not' was both thought provoking and entertaining and was much enjoyed by all the participants. In addition to planning specific events and activities in the life of the church, members of WaLT also consider the variety of worship at St. Luke's in the light of the needs of the parish community. When appropriate, new ideas are put to the PCC.
FABRIC
The Fabric Group looks after the needs of our beautiful building and its surroundings. Led by the Churchwardens, the group meets to review many of the practical aspects of church life. The church has responsibility for many areas of repair and maintenance, both to the church building, which is Grade 2 Starred Listed, and to the burial grounds next to the church and on the opposite side of the road.
The group discusses plans and priorities for work and recommends to the PCC what needs to be done.
The Diocese has considerable influence in planning permission for most of our projects and this entails a significant amount of administration. Besides the routine work of lawns, hedges and footpaths, recent larger projects have included refurbishment of the church bells, the bell tower and the louvres. A current concern is the necessary repairs to the beautiful painted glass windows.
FELLOWSHIP
The Fellowship group considers the involvement of the church in the life of the village, and plans and arranges the church's social events. The aim is to encourage fun and fellowship as well as fundraising and suggestions for achieving this are always welcome. This year the group has organised a Plant Sale in the Spring, the Vicarage Garden Party in June and two Parish Lunches. There was also a Bridge Evening in September. The Christmas Market is held at the end of November and often an outing can be arranged to a Christmas concert. There is also a musical evening in church just before Christmas Day. The team needs plenty of help of course, as special events often involve re-arrangement of chairs and tables as well as catering, so the team very much appreciates the help it receives from the many people who contribute to the functions arranged.
PASTORAL CARE
The Pastoral Care group, PasCa, aims to respond to the needs of anyone in the neighbourhood who would like a contact from the church. They try to give a warm and friendly, but totally confidential, response to anyone in need of help or guidance, also to people experiencing difficulties of one sort or another. Referring back to the PCC as necessary, the team meets regularly to review the needs of the church family and of the village in general, and to discuss ways of meeting the needs on behalf of the church. Keeping track of friends and neighbours without being intrusive is not always easy and the team depends on the help of everyone going about the village, as well as a network of nominated contacts, to maintain a caring presence in the village.
OUTREACH
The Outreach group focuses on the church's contact with and involvement in the surrounding community and beyond. This has unlimited range of possibilities and opportunities, and the group tries to build and maintain links both locally and outside the village. In the village much of the work goes unnoticed as members of the church both consciously and unconsciously in going about their daily lives contribute to outreach from St. Luke's. Specifically, it is the Outreach Team who liases with Goostrey Methodist Church to plan the Churches Together float at Rose Day, and the same team plans occasions such as this year's Harvest Lunch. In the summer, the group arranges a Sunday parish walk, ending at a nearby village church for a picnic, and joining the evening service afterwards. The principal link outside the village is with Longsight in Manchester.
WALT - WORSHIP AND LEARNING TEAMS
Worship and Learning are vital aspects of the life of the church. At St. Luke's, the Worship and Learning Team, WaLT, meets several times a year to review these areas. Consideration is given to planning for special services, such as 'Songs of Praise' and special occasions such as Christmas and Easter. Opportunities for learning may take the form of house groups or open discussions and several series of meetings have been held in recent years. The recent Question Time evening, entitled 'Believe it or Not' was both thought provoking and entertaining and was much enjoyed by all the participants. In addition to planning specific events and activities in the life of the church, members of WaLT also consider the variety of worship at St. Luke's in the light of the needs of the parish community. When appropriate, new ideas are put to the PCC.
FABRIC
The Fabric Group looks after the needs of our beautiful building and its surroundings. Led by the Churchwardens, the group meets to review many of the practical aspects of church life. The church has responsibility for many areas of repair and maintenance, both to the church building, which is Grade 2 Starred Listed, and to the burial grounds next to the church and on the opposite side of the road.
The group discusses plans and priorities for work and recommends to the PCC what needs to be done.
The Diocese has considerable influence in planning permission for most of our projects and this entails a significant amount of administration. Besides the routine work of lawns, hedges and footpaths, recent larger projects have included refurbishment of the church bells, the bell tower and the louvres. A current concern is the necessary repairs to the beautiful painted glass windows.
FELLOWSHIP
The Fellowship group considers the involvement of the church in the life of the village, and plans and arranges the church's social events. The aim is to encourage fun and fellowship as well as fundraising and suggestions for achieving this are always welcome. This year the group has organised a Plant Sale in the Spring, the Vicarage Garden Party in June and two Parish Lunches. There was also a Bridge Evening in September. The Christmas Market is held at the end of November and often an outing can be arranged to a Christmas concert. There is also a musical evening in church just before Christmas Day. The team needs plenty of help of course, as special events often involve re-arrangement of chairs and tables as well as catering, so the team very much appreciates the help it receives from the many people who contribute to the functions arranged.
PASTORAL CARE
The Pastoral Care group, PasCa, aims to respond to the needs of anyone in the neighbourhood who would like a contact from the church. They try to give a warm and friendly, but totally confidential, response to anyone in need of help or guidance, also to people experiencing difficulties of one sort or another. Referring back to the PCC as necessary, the team meets regularly to review the needs of the church family and of the village in general, and to discuss ways of meeting the needs on behalf of the church. Keeping track of friends and neighbours without being intrusive is not always easy and the team depends on the help of everyone going about the village, as well as a network of nominated contacts, to maintain a caring presence in the village.
OUTREACH
The Outreach group focuses on the church's contact with and involvement in the surrounding community and beyond. This has unlimited range of possibilities and opportunities, and the group tries to build and maintain links both locally and outside the village. In the village much of the work goes unnoticed as members of the church both consciously and unconsciously in going about their daily lives contribute to outreach from St. Luke's. Specifically, it is the Outreach Team who liases with Goostrey Methodist Church to plan the Churches Together float at Rose Day, and the same team plans occasions such as this year's Harvest Lunch. In the summer, the group arranges a Sunday parish walk, ending at a nearby village church for a picnic, and joining the evening service afterwards. The principal link outside the village is with Longsight in Manchester.