St Andrew's, Dearnley

Rev Sharon Jones and Margaret Wight with some food already collected for the Foodbank

Here at St Andrew's, the parish church of Dearnley and Smithy Bridge, we are working with the Trussell Trust, other churches and faith communities to launch a Foodbank in Rochdale.

Every day people in the UK go hungry for financial reasons and the plan is for Foodbank to provide a minimum of three days' emergency food and support for people experiencing crisis.

The Trussell Trust works in partnership with churches and communities in a bid to open new Foodbanks nationwide. There are 200 operating already and the goal is to have one in every town across the country.

Food is donated by the public, often with the help of supermarkets, and care professionals such as doctors and social workers identify people in crisis and issue a food voucher.

The Rochdale Foodbank will hopefully be up and running by the beginning of November. Once it is established we then aim to provide more branches around the borough, with one of them perhaps set up at St Andrew's.

In the meantime we need volunteers, to whom training will be provided. Please contact Pam Paterson for more information or check out the Trussell Trust website.

Warren and Maureen would like to thank all their friends at St Andrew's for their many cards and donations to charity --- £320 in total --- on the occasion of a surprise party with which they celebrated 50 years of marriage.

As many will know, our vicar, the Rev Sharon, will be enjoying a well-earned sabbatical from the beginning of September until early December.

Six weeks of it will be spent in Namibia where she will be working alongside the Rev Dr Vicky Johnson, another priest from the Manchester Diocese, in the teaching and training of Ordinands.

There are 42 men and women being ordained as priests and another 28 as permanent deacons.

In a message to parishioners, Sharon said: "This will be a challenge given the limited resources, though we will have a translator for those whose English is poor. Most will serve in a non-stipendiary capacity in the North of Namibia. I will subsequently be leading their pre-ordination retreat before I return home.

"My parish duties will be covered during my absence by numerous priests and faithful laity. Roger Hill and George Dobbs will look after you.

"I look forward to seeing you all again in December and ask that you remember me in your prayers as I remember you. My love to you all."

After 15 years as editor of The Fisherman, our monthly church magazine, John Paterson has retired and handed over to Jonathon Coomer, who will edit the October issue for the first time.

In his farewell piece, John wrote: "The last 15 years have seen many changes to the magazine in content and format. I have tried to make it interesting, readable and informative and I'm sure Jonathon will continue in that vein, although inevitably he will put his own stamp on it.

"I wish him well in his endeavours and exhort you, the readership, to support him with your comments and articles."

This coming Sunday, September 9, we have our usual Sunday services at 8am (Eucharist) and at 10am (Sung Eucharist), followed at noon by Holy Baptism.

The parish rota is: lay assistants, S Moore, H Walker; readers, C McCole, J Townshend; Intercessions, C Longhurst; sidespersons, G Kilpatrick, M Sheridan; refreshments, Carolyn, Pat, Margaret.

Don't forget that on the following Sunday, September 16, we host the Deanery's Songs of Praise, starting at 3pm, and that two weeks later, on the 30th, it will be Back to Church Sunday when we have a family Eucharist at 10am to which all regular worshippers are invited to bring along a friend, neighbour, work mate or family member.

The service will include an appearance by the celebrated St Andrew's puppets, all followed by brunch in the parish room.