Our News

Our Minister with Pastoral Care, Rev’d Pat Billsborrow, sends the following Message for the month of  June 2019 ….

Dear Friends

As we move into the month of June we are being invited, for the first nine days to concentrate our minds in prayer for God’s Kingdom to come. Initially something suggested by the Anglican Church it is now being widely recognised as an opportunity for Mission throughout the Christian Community.

Here in Northwich this will be launched at 7 p.m. on Friday 31st May with 24 hours of prayer lasting until 7 p.m. on Saturday 1st June. This is to be held in the Salvation Army Hall and we are all encouraged to go along and spend some time in praying for our town and for the wider wellbeing of our neighbours whatever their needs might be.

Alongside this there are various opportunities for prayer around the county and in our local churches just look out for what is available here, I shall be leading Open Circuit in the Resource Centre on Wednesday 5th June with “Thy Kingdom Come” as my theme for the morning. June is a busy month for those of us who prepare Worship and Methodist Bible Month begins on Sunday 16th June when all the Methodists leading worship will have been asked to use Colossians as the focus for their services. Clearly here at Castle we will be dipping in and out of the book depending on who is leading Worship, but if you feel you are missing out on some of what is happening I would encourage you to come along to the Group which meets twice a month on Friday mornings, where we shall be taking the same theme beginning on the second Friday in June, where you would be most welcome, it is a very user friendly group of people and no-one need be afraid that their opinion does not count.

As I come to the end of this message which is mainly a calendar this month, can I wish you well and pray that as we move into the season of Pentecost the Holy Spirit will be with us and we will move forward together filled with a vision and hope for the growth and future of our church.

Blessings
Pat Billsborrow

Our Minister, Rev’d Chris Pritchard, sends the following Message for the month of  April 2019 ….

Dear Friends,

As you read this letter my thoughts will be turning towards Holy Week and Easter. I write that with a certain amount of trepidation because for almost all ministers in the church it is a really busy season, having said that I do prefer Easter to Christmas. There are a couple of reasons for this, firstly there is less family pressure and secondly Holy Week and Easter is the supreme point of the Christian year.

Let me unpack those points. I will start by thinking about families and Easter. With Christmas there comes expectations of family gatherings, parties and present swapping. There is less of that pressure at Easter. At Easter it is nice to exchange Easter eggs and perhaps see family for a meal but there is not the same pressure to see everyone. Having grown up in a church family the most important thing has always been the Easter Sunday Church service.

My second point is that Holy Week and Easter are the high points of the Christian year. I am not saying that Christmas is unimportant. The celebration of the birth of Christ and the incarnation is a very special event; however Christmas would lose most if not all of its meaning without the events of Holy Week and Easter Sunday. If Jesus had not been betrayed, arrested, tried, crucified and resurrected we would not be following Jesus today.

Please note that in this letter I have always kept Holy Week and Easter together. They really are all one event. You cannot have the celebration of Easter Sunday without the pain and sorrow of the Holy Week and particularly the death of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday. I fail to see how we can celebrate Jesus’ resurrection without mourning his death. I have had people comment to me that they don’t like Good Friday. To be honest I don’t think you are supposed to like Good Friday but you can’t have Easter Sunday without it.

This incidentally is why I am concerned that people in some churches go from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday without any recognition of the death of Jesus taking place in the week between. I know that not everyone can get to a Maundy Thursday Service or a Good Friday meditation but everyone should be able to read the bible story and reflect prayerfully on it so that when it comes to Easter Sunday you have thought about the death of Jesus. After all the central message of our faith is that Christ Jesus died on the cross and he arose from the grave to new life for us bringing us forgiveness and the hope of eternal life.

So I do hope that over Holy Week and Easter this year even if you can’t get to church you will find some time to reflect on the story so that you mourn Jesus’ death and celebrate the risen Lord. Of course I do hope that you will be able to attend all our Holy Week and Easter Services.

I do wish you a Happy Easter.

Chris Pritchard

 

 

Our Link Minister, Rev’d David Spence, sends the following Message for the month of  March 2019 ….

Dear Friends,

Within our culture, we often give people names to describe who they are, where they come from, what they do, or something else about them. The name might refer to their country of origin, their chosen profession, or the position they hold in society. A person might be called an Australian, an Electrician, a Teacher, a Mayor or a Vicar. These are familiar names which we all understand, and they do enable us to know a little about the person in question. But there is one equally familiar name which is all too frequently misused and misunderstood. It is the name “Christian”.

The term “Christian” was used at one time to describe someone born in a certain part of the world, in contrast to someone being born a heathen. This is much less so nowadays, as the concept of a Christian country is a thing of the past.

The term is still widely used to refer to a person who is a regular churchgoer. But perhaps the most common usage today is to describe someone who is known to be a really kind and good living person. Yet to link the name “Christian” simply with churchgoing, or to equate the term with doing good is a mistake. It is a complete misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian.

It is easy to see how these ideas have come about. They arise out of a kind of false logic. Consider this statement: “A true Christian tries to be loving, helpful and kind. My next door neighbour is loving, helpful and kind. Therefore, my next door neighbour is a true Christian.” That might sound quite reasonable, but is it?

Here is a similar statement: “A dog is a furry animal with a tail and four legs. Next doors cat is furry and has a tail and four legs. Therefore, next door’s cat is a dog!”

Although the second is more obvious, both statements are examples of false logic. My good living neighbour might be a Jew, or a Muslim, or may even have no belief in God whatsoever. If that was the case, they might even feel offended at being referred to as a Christian.

The name “Christian” was first given to a certain group of people in Antioch. Not simply because of their good deeds or the fact that they gathered together for worship, but because they were disciples of Jesus Christ. This is the only legitimate use of the name Christian.

Those men and women had a living faith in the risen Jesus, and he was Lord of their lives. They had experienced for themselves his forgiving love, and the new life which comes through faith in him. They had committed themselves to following Jesus and walking in the Christian Way.

Their gathering each Sunday in worship did not make them Christians, but was a result of their deep faith. Their love for God was so strong that they wanted to worship him. Their love for their fellow Christians was so real that they wanted to support and encourage one another by coming together on a regular basis.

Their caring compassion and sacrificial love was also the natural outcome of a living faith in Jesus. The one they followed had taught them a new way of living; to love their neighbour, to care for the needy, to forgive one another It may seem as though I am making a big fuss about getting the name right, but it is rather important that we do. When the name “Christian” is misused and misunderstood in the ways I have described, then people may think they are already Christians and look no further.

They would then miss out on the new life that comes through knowing Jesus and putting their trust in him. They would miss out on the joy and peace and sense of purpose which comes in walking the Christian way.

Yours in Christian love,

David

 

Our Minister with Pastoral Care, Rev’d Pat Billsborrow, sends the following Message for the month of  February 2019 ….

Dear Friends

When I was asked to write the Minister’s letter this month, I had no idea what Christmas had in store for me myself and Bob in a very different place. The experience of taking ill just before Christmas was totally new to me and I have had a lot of time over the weeks since that time to reflect not only on my own family circumstances but also on the needs of so many folk in the community we serve here in Castle. Bob and I are fortunate for we have the strength of the faith community behind us when we have fallen into difficulties, but there are many of our neighbours who struggle daily to make sense of the world which is so different from the world they would have known when they were young. One thing which came home to me was how difficult it is for anyone even in quite desperate need, to find the necessary care and if I had been making a New Years’ Resolution, it would be that a way would be found where all people would be regarded as having the same value as everyone else; not just in this country but indeed throughout the world, and that means could be found so that all people could have the opportunity to live fulfilled lives whoever and wherever they are.

However, this letter is primarily to wish all of you connected with Castle Community Church not just a Happy New Year but a spiritually blessed and productive new year serving God not just within the church but within the wider neighbourhood. On 6th January you will have recommitted yourselves to your faith in the Covenant Service, giving over the whole of yourself for God to use for his purposes. If all of us, and I include myself in this, truly took to heart the promises we made in that service and the Commandments of Jesus that God should be uppermost in our thinking, then our neighbours before we turned to ourselves, what a difference it would make. We might even find growth within this church community for people would come knowing they were loved and cared for and want to know some of that faith commitment for themselves. 

So, a bit belatedly, A Happy and Meaningful New Year to you all,

Blessings
Pat Billsborrow

Our Minister, Rev’d Chris Pritchard, sends the following Message for the month of  December 2018 ….

Dear Friends,

This year my household started talking about Christmas earlier than normal. My wife and I usually have a holiday at the beginning of November and Ruth tells me that at that time that we need to start thinking about Christmas presents and who needs what. Her argument is that I will get very busy in December and if she wants my help then we have to start early. This year however we had a holiday in October and so we started Christmas shopping even earlier than usual. One problem with this is that when I say to my family what do you want for Christmas most of them have no idea in the middle of October!

The thing is that I am bit of a bah humbug sort of person! It is not that I don’t like Christmas because I do but rather I want to think about Advent before Christmas. For lots of people Christmas begins early in December and I sometimes find that by the Sunday after Christmas people have had enough! But we should remember that according to the churches year Christmas only begins on the evening of Christmas Eve and it goes on depending on how you look at it either to Epiphany on the 6th January or Candlemas at the start of February! I know a number of churches who will put the Christmas crib scene out and bless it on Christmas Eve and it will stay in church well into the New Year.

Personally I would like to be able to enjoy advent before I enjoy Christmas. Some of my colleagues are very strict about this and try and insist that Carols in particular are not sung until it is Christmas but I realise that is an alien concept to most people especially as the shops started their Christmas music early in November. The point for me is that I want to spend Advent reflecting on what the coming of Jesus Christ means to me before I celebrate his birth. Advent means coming and at its best it is a time for us to reflect on what it means to say that Jesus has come into the world and also what it might mean to reflect on how Jesus might come to us in glory! This then I think will help us to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

I don’t want to be a killjoy. When Christmas comes I will celebrate it as much as anyone. I will enjoy singing a variety of Christmas Carols and I will share in worship and tell the Christmas story with as much joy as I can muster, because Christmas is special and it is important to celebrate the birth of Jesus and recognise that Jesus is God incarnate. I just want to use advent as a time to prepare for that celebration!

So I am going to finish this letter by wishing you a helpful advent as well as a very happy Christmas.

God Bless

Chris Pritchard

 

 

Our Link Minister, Rev’d David Spence, sends the following Message for the month of  November 2018 ….

Dear Friends,

When I am out and about doing my pastoral work, visiting people in hospital or in their own homes I am frequently asked questions. One question that arises again and again concerns what is happening to them. They will ask, “What have I done to deserve this?”

Perhaps they are battling with a serious illness or have been hurt in an accident that was no fault of their own. It could be that their marriage has fallen apart, and they are left broken-hearted, or perhaps they have lost their job because the firm they work for has gone bust.

The feeling behind the question is that life is so unfair. They are not bad people; in fact, they try to lead reasonably good lives and are kind towards their neighbours. So, what could they possibly have done to deserve what they are going through?

The answer to their question is simply that they haven’t done anything! They certainly don’t deserve what has happened to them. It is just that life is not always fair and sometimes bad things do happen to good people.

Something else that lies behind the question, “What have I done to deserve this?” is a misunderstanding of the ways of God. In ancient times people used to believe that if you are suffering in some way then you must have done something wrong and sinful that has offended God, and your suffering is his punishment upon you.

This was a widespread belief in Old Testament times. We have all heard about Job and his ‘Comforters’. In this biblical story, Job is a good man who loses everything, his family, his possessions, even his health. When his friends come to ‘comfort’ him, they tell him that the reason for his suffering is that he has been sinful in some way. This is not true at all, because Job is in fact a truly good man who has always remained faithful to God.

The ancient story of Job was written to protest the widely held belief at that time. It made people re-think and question their understanding of God.

No, God does not bring sickness or suffering or disaster upon us because we have behaved badly. He loves us regardless of our actions and behaviour. He desires our well-being even when we mess up in life. In fact, he is right there with us in our times of trouble. He is there sharing our suffering and offering his help, support, and comfort through all our struggles.

Yours in Christian love,

David

 

Our Minister with Pastoral Care, Rev’d Pat Billsborrow, sends the following Message for the month of  October 2018 ….

Dear Friends

It seems very strange to be writing this letter in some ways as September 1st was the day when for the 3rd time I became part of the Ministry in this Church.  The first time was around nine months after Bob and I moved to Northwich twelve years ago.  I had entered the Preaching Plan in the Circuit a couple of months after we arrived but then I had a telephone call from David Goodwin, I had known David when he was a Candidate for the Ministry and he had had a day’s placement with me whilst he was in College, so he knew me quite well. “I am getting married” he said “and I will be leaving the Circuit in the Summer and it is too late for Stationing, so will you be the Superintendent and the Minister at Castle for six months until someone can be moved into place”  Not being known for saying no my reply was positive and so I became the Methodist Minister here in the days before we were the Community Church.  As a keen ecumenist I worked hard during those days to bring the two congregations together, for one thing to lead identical services within an hour of each other did seem somewhat strange at times, and I was delighted when the uniting process was complete.

Eventually a new Minister was appointed, I was asked to take on work in Delamere Forest when a new Probationer Minister was going to be there, the job was too big for a Probationer, whose name incidentally was Sue Levitt, and so for two years I worked elsewhere.  As that was coming to an end the District had a brainwave, why not fill places which had not been easy to fill with a Team, I was asked “would you be prepared” ……again saying yes, and off to Runcorn I went, initially for 1 year and then “can you stay for one more year?”…………

As that time came to an end, there was the need for a Team to come into the Mid Cheshire Circuit, I became part of that team, not with a particular role to play here at Castle but preaching regularly and being part of the “family” because Bob’s Membership was here, taking part in many of the events and activities as well as being quite regular in the Pulpit on Sundays.  The Team was released when Rev. James and Rev. Tim arrived twoyears ago, and so I became a Preacher on the Plan, back to normal one might say.

But now: Well Chris our Superintendent was left with a problem, Peter was moving on, no one coming in, how could they or indeed he cope with the extra load, another call “If I am the Minister at Castle,” he said, “will you be prepared to take on a Pastoral Role there?” and here I am, It feels a bit like coming home.

I shall be delighted to work with Chris in this role, but I am NOT the Minister just his assistant and I will do what I can to work alongside him, prayerfully and diligently as we build on the work of God in this special place. It is good to be back.

Blessings
Pat Billsborrow

Our Minister, Rev’d Chris Pritchard, sends the following Message for the month of  September 2018 ….

Dear Friends,

I thought that as I become the Methodist Minister at Castle Community Church I should take a moment to introduce myself. I know some of you know me quite well and have met me on a number of occasions, but others will have hardly seen me.

I am known by most people as Chris only my parents call me Christopher I was born in Alsager on September 19th 1966 so this September I shall be 52 years old. I went to school in Crewe before leaving home at the age of 19 when I moved to Sheffield. There I took a degree in Civil Engineering at Sheffield City Polytechnic. After college I worked for six years designing sewers for Rotherham Borough Council. During this time I trained as a local preacher and then in September 1995 I moved to Manchester to train for the ministry at Hartley Victoria College. My first six years as a minister were spent in the Rhyl and Prestatyn circuit. It was while I was in Rhyl that I met my wife Ruth who ran the youth club at one of the churches that I served. Ruth has two adult children John and Becki who currently live with us. From Rhyl we moved to the Wrexham circuit where I served for 8 years before moving here in 2012.

I have a couple of important hobbies with which I while away my spare time. I have had a season ticket for Stoke City FC since I was 9 years old and regularly attend matches. I am also a very keen bird watcher and on my days off I will probably be found with a pair of binoculars around my neck looking for interesting birds.

Over the next few weeks I look forward to getting to know you all better which will be a challenge. Most importantly of all I look forward to worshipping God with you and exploring what it means to call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ and particularly what it means to talk about following Jesus here in Castle? Perhaps then, in the words of Mother Theresa, we will do ‘something beautiful for God’.

Chris Pritchard

 

Our Link Minister, Rev’d David Spence, sends the following Message for the month of  July 2018 ….

Dear Friends,

I love reading adventure stories. Amongst my favourites are stories about life at sea. I have always been fascinated by the great sailing ships in the days when the Royal Navy had vessels all over the world.

When the Hornblower series was on network television, I wouldn’t miss a single episode. One Christmas the family actually bought me a complete box set of Hornblower’s adventures.

In reading these stories and watching those films the thing that fascinated me most was the huge range of roles and skills needed to run an active naval vessel; every seaman had a role and every role was needed.

There were the top-men who climbed the ship’s rigging to set the sails; there were helmsmen who kept the ship on course, lookouts high up in the crow’s nest.

There were the ship’s officers and midshipmen who organised their sections and saw to it that the captain’s orders were carried out.

The ships company included a surgeon to look after the sick and injured, sailmakers and carpenters to carry out repairs.

Then there was the quartermaster who looked after all the supplies. Not to forget ship’s cook feeding the hungry crew.

During the life and adventures of a sailing vessel, there were times when a ship had to function with a skeleton crew; perhaps because of widespread sickness below decks, or after a sea battle in which the ship had encountered heavy losses.

But it took a full and active crew to enable the ship to navigate the high  seas and carry out its mission effectively.

From the earliest of days the church has been compared with a ship, a sailing vessel out on the sea of life. I still find it a helpful comparison, especially when I recall the great sailing ships of my adventure stories.

As with a sailing ship, there are many different roles and skills needed to run an active church and to carry out its mission. There are some responsible for the worship; others are involved in finance and administration. There are those who work with children, others who visit the sick and elderly. Some are involved in catering and social events, still others look after our buildings. Some are involved in community projects such as Foodbank and Street Pastors. Others work in the team producing the church magazine.

Then there are those faithful folk come to worship praying for the needs of the world and encouraging one another in the faith. Not to forget those who are housebound who support the church in prayer in their own homes.

Everyone has a ministry, everyone has a role, no matter how small that role may appear to be.

Sadly, there are churches where people do not recognise they have a ministry or a role. They are unwilling to give anything of their time, their skills, their energy to God’s work. They would much rather be passengers than members of the crew. Where this does happen the church finishes up operating with a skeleton crew. This means that some crew members then have to take on several tasks. The consequences are that the work of God in and through the church suffers and that church becomes ineffective.

In contrast, when a church does have a full and active crew, with every member offering the gifts they have and setting aside some time and energy for God’s work, then God’s vessel surges forward, spreading the good news, caring for the needy and becoming an active force for good in its community.

The question is where do you and I stand when it comes to our place on God’s sailing vessel? Are we part of the ship’s crew taking on some small role, enabling the ship to function and cut through the waters, or are we passengers being carried along. Our divine Captain is calling us all to play our part, so that his mission might be complete.

Yours in Christian love,

David

 

Our Minister, Rev’d Dr Peter Levitt, sends the following Message for the month of June 2018 ….

Dear Friends,

As we move into the last quarter of this particular Methodist Church Year, I can’t help but think of the hymn ‘Through all the changing scenes of life’, by Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady.

Every summer for the past 36 years I’ve been in this position and even though serving in an ecumenical appointment this hymn has popped into my mind again because it continues to be relevant.

This year it has a particular resonance for me with the prospect of ‘sitting down’ in August with all the changes that will bring.

I’m one of those who has been able to welcome change, thankfully, maybe because of my science background or because we criss-crossed the country when I was little because of my father’s work.

So change has not been a problem for me and I’ve always been able to look forward to it.

Maybe that will change when I ‘sit down’!

We move into the summer quarter having celebrated Pentecost again and I’m so glad we have this particular Christian Festival.

To hear again what happened to the Apostles in that house in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Risen and Glorified Jesus and the Spirit of the Creator God, energised them and they were empowered to face change which transformed their lives; this is, I think, just what we need to face the future with our loving Heavenly Father – whatever that future holds.

As the first and last verses of the hymn I mentioned above say so simply and directly –

‘Through all the changing scenes of life
in trouble and in joy,
the praises of my God shall still
my heart and tongue employ.

           ……….

Fear him, you saints, and you will then
Have nothing else to fear;
Make you his service your delight,
Your wants shall be his care.’

You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.

Peter