St Chad’s Notices Sunday 13 th November 2011 Contact: [email protected] Prayer at St Chad’s St Chad’s seeks to be a prayerful church. Each week we have a list of prayer points to help guide your prayers. If you have any prayer requests please contact the church office or Johanna Pearson. 1. For Graham, Tim and Eleanore on their trip – especially for the healing ministry training this Wed & Thurs. 2. Our local schools and opportunities to share Good New of Jesus there over Christmas. 3. Thanks to God for amazing Cheery Tree youth weekend away and schools week in Werneth. 4. The prisons ministry – for Jack, Joe and other men who have made steps of faith. Pray for the chaplains, wardens, prisoners, their families and those who go in to minister to them. 5. Pray for our community, our schools, headteachers, councillors, our government, those affected by the financial crisis. Cut along the strip and stick our weekly diary and prayer points in your Remembrance Sunday Parade - Today 2.30pm Assemble at Green Lane adjacent to the Duke of York Hotel. 2.45pm Prayers at Romiley War Memorial. 2.55pm Parade from Romiley war memorial to George Lane war memorial. 3.00pm Service to commence. God at work in prison Joe asked me to write a good news story of what God is doing in Forest Bank prison, where Audrey and I are part-time chaplains. One of the outreach events we hold about every 6 to 8 weeks is called ʻEncounterʼ. We invite someone to come in and share their testimony of how God came into their life and turned it around. Normally itʼs an ex- offender but most recently Andy Hawthorne came in and several men responded. Some of them are now doing an Alpha-type course we run that we call ʻLifelineʼ (because Jesus is our lifeline). Amongst them is a young lad who only came into the prison a couple of weeks ago; in fact, when I saw him on Reception the morning after his arrival, he said he had ʻno religionʼ. But a lot of what the Lord is doing is ʻlow keyʼ as the Holy Spirit ministers to the men through the weekly groups. A week ago, a prisoner who had been coming to our Bible groups for months was about to be transferred to another prison. Before he went, he knocked on the Chaplaincy door to thank us because whilst he has been with us, in his own words, heʼs been ʻborn againʼ and heʼs now ʻgot eternal lifeʼ which he didnʼt have when he came in. His name is Jack. Please pray for him. I know he would appreciate it. Another lad went to court about 3 weeks ago and got released, but shortly before he went, he said, “Iʼm ready now. Iʼm ready to ask Jesus into my life” and he did. His name is Joe and heʼs now returned to his home in Wigan. He needs to find a church that will help him keep going on with the Lord. Please pray for him. One of the things our Chaplaincy manager has started talking about doing is inviting a few people from churches outside to come into the prison to sit with the prisoners on Sunday mornings as “worship companions”. This hasnʼt got off the ground yet but if anyone feels it might be something the Lord may want them to take part in, please let us know. Finally, Prisons Week begins on Sunday 20 November. Please pray for the ongoing work of the Spirit in the hearts of prisoners, prison officers and chaplains. And if anyone would like to attend the Prison Fellowship Rally at St Paulʼs Church, Moor Lane, Salford on Saturday 19 November and would like a seat booking, please let us know asap. Alan Murch