Category: blog

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Easter 2023

Karl Möller

Events in Holy Week

Palm Sunday services, Sunday, 2nd April

  • All Age Service, St John’s in the Hall at 9:15am
  • Palm Sunday Holy Communion, St Michael’s at 11:15am 

Experience Easter Stations, Monday to Thursday, 3rd – 6th April

During Holy Week, St Paul’s will be open for people to come and spend some time in reflection and prayer. We will place the Experience Easter Stations around the Church as visual reminders of the different parts of the story. 

Compline, Monday to Wednesday, 3rd – 5th April

Compline is a simple quiet service, traditionally said at the end of the day. We begin Holy Week with three services of compline in St Paul’s and St Leonard’s:

  • Holy Week Compline on Monday 3rd April at 6:30pm in St Paul’s (John 12:1-11) 
  • Holy Week Compline on Tuesday 4th April at 6:30pm in St Leonard’s (John 12:20-36)
  • Holy Week Compline on Wednesday 5th April at 6:30pm in St Paul’s (john 13: 21-32)

Agape meal followed by a service of Tenebrae, Maundy Thursday, 6th April

At 6pm on Maundy Thursday, there will be an agape meal followed by a Tenebrae service at St Paul’s. Tenebrae is a service of readings, which begins in the light and ends in the darkness. After hearing the passion narrative, we leave the church in silence.

Good Friday, 7th April

From 10:30 till 12:00 there will be a Family Easter Experience Event at St Michael’s Arlecdon. As well as the traditional Easter Egg Treasure Hunt, egg dumping and Easter crafts, there will be an opportunity to reflect and learn more about the Easter story.

We will be holding a quiet reflective service on Good Friday afternoon from 2-3 at St John’s in the Hall. This service, traditionally known as the Hour at the Cross, will be a service of readings, music and silence.

Easter Sunrise Service, Easter Sunday, 9th April

Please join us for our Easter Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday from 6 to 7:30am. We will meet at Black How car park before walking to the top of Dent to greet the Easter Sunrise. There will be a short service of celebration. Hot cross buns will be served, but please do bring your own hot drink. Do let Rev. Nicki know if you are intending to come. 

Other Easter Sunday services, 9th April

  • 9:15am: Holy Communion at St Paul’s
  • 11:15am: Holy Communion at St Leonard’s
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Warm Spots in Crosslacon Parish

Karl Möller

We are all very conscious of the costs of putting the heating on in our homes during this season of escalating prices. So, if you are feeling the chill, and the squeeze on your budget, why not come along and join us at one of our weekly events in the parish? You would be assured of a warm welcome, a hot drink, and a good craic!

  • Mondays, 1-3pm at St Paul’s Frizington: Craft and chat … no need to be crafty … all are welcome for a chat and a hot drink.
  • Wednesdays, 10-12 at Jubilee Rooms in Cleator: Social Club … chat, craft, and games.
  • Fridays, 2-4pm, The Living Room at St John’s in the Hall, Crossfield Road, Cleator Moor.
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St Paul’s Eco Churchyard Project

Karl Möller

Last year a group from the community got together to discuss how we could tend our much loved graveyard in St Paul’s Frizington so that it provided a welcoming habitat for wildlife whilst offering a welcoming space to folks in our community who like to spend time in this special place. We began in early Spring by planting trees donated by Woodland Trust, helped by our Tree Specialist Simon Ray, members of our Phoenix Youth Group, Skills for You, and children from our local schools as well as members of our community. 

Later on that season, supported by Cumbria Wildlife trust, we took part in the get Cumbria Buzzing project. Children and families from across the parish took part in planting wildflower plug plants, making bug hotels and bird feeders.

In October this year, due to funding from Cumbria Community foundation, we were able to sow a substantial part of the unused part of our graveyard with wildflower seed. The whole community pitched into give us a hand…Phoenix youth centre, Frizington Primary, St Joseph’s Primary, children and families from across the parish. 

In the meantime, warm and dry inside, women from our Knitting nature group created an amazing knitted nature display to festoon the railings of our church. And they are busy creating another community art project which we are calling @Stitching the Seasons.’ Once completed, this will be displayed in our church building for all to enjoy.

Why not get involved in tending this amazing space entrusted to our care…so that all species can thrive and flourish! We hope to have green gym days early next year. Our next project is to create a pollinator garden of rest.

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The Living Room

Karl Möller

The Living room is a social gathering that takes place on Friday afternoons from 2-4pm in St John’s in the Hall on Crossfield Road at Cleator Moor. 

Most of all, it’s a place to come and meet with others, relax and have a craic: treat it as your own living room!

On occasion, we have folks who come along to share a passion or an interest. Sometimes, we have different agencies attending to offer advice and assistance in various areas.

The Health and Wellbeing Coaches are present at most sessions and available to offer advice and assistance. At the end of each session there is an optional time for reflection and prayer.

It’s a friendly group, and you would be assured of a warm welcome. Why not give us a try? Contact Rev Nicki if you would like to know more about it.

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The Bells are Returning!

nickigpennington

PROGRAMME FOR EASTER WEEKEND
Good Friday (15th April)
10.30am-12noon: Family Fun Day in church and graveyard
12noon-4pm: Church open. Church team available for Q&A

Easter Saturday (16th April)
10-4pm: Church open for quiet contemplation of bells

Easter Sunday (17th April)
10am: Church open. Church team available for Q&A
11.15-12.15pm: Easter Morning Service
12.30pm–2pm: Church closed (Private Baptism)
2.30pm–4pm: Church open. Church teams available for Q&A

Easter Monday (18th April)
10am-4pm: Church open for quiet contemplation of bells

Looking Ahead……

Sunday 8th May
3pm: Blessing of the bells by Bishop James

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Through the Window in Lent.

nickigpennington

Week Four: Clouds

We do rather well for sunsets from both the front and back bedroom windows of our house. We often call to one another – “come and look at the sunset”. Depending on the cloud cover, the normally white grey or black clouds take on such beautiful colours as the sun drops below the western horizon.


Meditation


As I look at a sunset, I can’t help but bring to mind words from a hymn: “The sun that bids us rest is waking our brethren ‘neath the western sky”. People I’ve never heard of, but real people with real lives are ever waking to a new day, as the sun goes on setting and rising. And I somehow catch a vision of the family of our world of which I am apart. People living in a multitude of different situations and circumstances, but all part of who we all are, part of who I am. And I am humbled by the privilege of belonging.

Something to think about…


Might the setting sun help you bring to mind people far away?

Can you find anything through your window that helps you a feel part of something greater?

How about taking pictures of different cloud formations when they catch your imagination and express different things to you?

blog, this week

Baking Through Lent: Week Three: The Last Supper

nickigpennington

I wonder if there is a meal that you have had in the past which was really special…a time you spent with people you really care about? I guess recently we haven’t been able to meet in each other’s houses, never mind have friends’ round for a meal, so maybe this meal took place some time ago…maybe on a special occasion like a birthday or a family celebration like a wedding or Christening or even a Christmas dinner? I wonder if you can remember what you ate?


This week in our ‘Baking through Lent’ series, we are remembering a really special meal that Jesus shared with his friends in the last week of his life….


It was Passover in Jerusalem. Passover was a special festival when the Jews gathered together to remember and gave thanks to God for delivering them from slavery in Egypt. They prepared a special meal to remind them of their experiences in slavery…they had special dishes such as a dish of bitter herbs to remind them of the pain of slavery…flat hard cracker type bread called matzah because the night that God rescued them they had to leave suddenly and so did not have time to prepare and let the bread rise in the usual way… they also had a cup of salt water to remind them of the tears they shed whilst in slavery and a dish made of apple and nuts called haroset (an applesauce-like mixture made with wine, nuts, apples, etc.) to remind them of the mortar used by the Jews in Egypt when as slaves they were forced to make bricks to build huge temples and pyramids. Every year the Jews would eat this special meal to remember and thank God for helping them.


That last week of his life, Jesus and his friends travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. They wanted to eat the Passover meal together. Jesus told Peter and John to go into Jerusalem and get things ready for the meal. Peter and John did exactly as Jesus said and, that night, they met to share the Passover Meal together. When they ate the meal, they remembered how God had taken care of his people all those years ago. How God had set them free.


Jesus and the apostles followed all of the special instructions for the meal. They ate bitter herbs to help them remember the bad times that the Jews had had when they were slaves in Egypt. They ate roasted lamb and they drank grape wine and ate unleavened bread.


Then Jesus did something very special. He took the bread and broke it in to pieces and gave it to his friends and said,

This is my body which is given for you. Keep on doing this to remember me


At the end of the meal Jesus took a cup of wine and said,

This is my blood which is shed for you. Do this to remember me


The disciples wondered what he meant. Then Jesus told them something that was very sad. He said,

Someone here who is sharing this meal with us is not really my friend. He is going to get me into trouble. He will betray me to those who want to take my life.


Only Jesus and Judas knew who Jesus was talking about and it was at that point that Judas left Jesus to put his plan into action.


Today, for our baking project, we are going to make something a bit like the dish of sweet apples called “haroset” that Jesus and his Disciples would have shared. We are going to make apple blondies which are a bit like pale brownies. To make this you will need the following ingredients:,


Apple Blondies


1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3-4 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
You can add a handful of some chopped walnuts too…but that’s up to you!

Set the oven to 180°C and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
o In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well until a thick batter forms. You may need to add a bit more flour or a bit more syrup to get the right firm consistency.
o Transfer to the loaf tin and sprinkle on the brown sugar.
o Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden.
o Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.
o Blondies are meant to be fudgy in the middle, which looks a bit like the mud-cement, and you can cut them up to look like bricks.


I’d love to see pictures of your apple blondies. Do paste them on this Facebook feed.


Whilst you eat your apple blondies, I wonder if you can think of any ways that God has helped you?

Can you think of any struggles or disappointments that you’ve managed to get over and rise above?

Perhaps you could spend some time thanking God for looking after you.

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Through the window in Lent: Week three: Flowers

nickigpennington

Most days we walk up and down our garden path for at least 20 minutes. In the summer months we were passing close by a reddish pink hydrangea bush.

Meditation


Each hydrangea flower head consists of lots of small flowers, each of which has at its centre what appears to be another smaller flower. Each individual element is lovely in its own right, but together they make an even more lovely whole – and one that attracts the birds and bees.

This year we have depended on family and friends for shopping and prescriptions, emails, phone calls, photos of things we can’t visit for ourselves, and unexpected treats. All of which we are very grateful for in their own right. Added together they are enriching our lives in a wonderful way.
In the care and generosity we are being shown we recognize and feel the gracious love of God.

Something to think about…

  • Have you had to depend on others during this past year?
  • Do you find it difficult to depend on others?
  • Are you able to ‘lean on’ God in challenging times?
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Through the Window in Lent: Week Two: Birds

nickigpennington


During the first lockdown we put birdfeeders in our tree. We were, and are amazed at how many birds come to the tree: greenfinches goldfinches, great tits, chaffinches, bullfinches, robins. Then collared doves, dunnocks and pigeons come to feed on the ground under the tree where seed has been dropped by the greenfinches (messy eaters!).

Meditation

The birds have become quite precious to us. We feel a responsibility for them – making sure there is always food. We see how they live alongside one another including different types. There is an occasional scrap but it’s quite rare. Different types will feed together on the same feeder They will cue up on the branches waiting for their turn on the feeders.
I can’t help remembering that Jesus is reported as saying that God’s dream for us all is like a tree where all the birds of the air make their home in its branches.

Something to think about...

Can you see anything from your window that means a lot to you?

Can you see anything from your window to encourage you about our human relationships?

What keeps your hope for a better world alive?