Royton, Greater Manchester - March 2026
Before we entered the season of autumn and winter we had a lovely visit from Sr Mary Holmes on 26th July. She gave a very interesting talk about her recent travels around sites in Europe linked to Moravian history. She visited Suchdol and Odrou, Fulnek and Herrnhut. This event raised £185.50 for the Moravian Womens Association (MWA) projects and included Afternoon Tea and a raffle.
We had lots of other social events organised by our church members such as Sr Beryl Healey hosting a Musical Interlude on 13th September. As usual, the music was very enjoyable and brought back many memories. It was again accompanied by a lovely Afternoon Tea and a raffle and raised £190.90 for Church funds. The Beetle & Bingo Night on 24th October was enjoyed by all and raised £161 for Church funds and of course the annual Christmas Fair was held on 29th November and was a great success. All the stalls were busy, and everyone had a good time. A grand total of £1,483.41 was raised for Church funds. Br Woolford thanked everyone for their fantastic efforts. On 4th December many members of the congregation joined together for a Christmas lunch at the Old Bell Inn in Delph. It was a lovely occasion, sharing good food and fellowship together. The Christmas spirit continued with Sr Janine Parkin who led our Advent Service, giving an interesting insight into her role in co-ordinating Religious Education in local primary schools and the initiatives she introduced for Advent. Sr Lisa Howarth once again led our Service of Nine Lessons and Carols on 14th December, including a new take on the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas!’ Our Christingle Service on 21st December was led by Br James Woolford. It was great to see so many people in Church, and everyone enjoyed the impromptu Nativity play. Br Woolford also took the service on Christmas Day, which included a little bit of magic for those in attendance. Thanks, to all who helped in any way to make the Christmas Services and celebrations enjoyable and meaningful. We also thank Br James Woolford for leading a Blue Christmas Service on 10th December. Sr Judith Wilson writes: ‘This was our first experience of this type of service. It was a service of reflection, not just of the personal loss of the people gathered, but for all people in the world who for so many reasons find Christmas holidays difficult. The service was an acknowledgement of grief, loneliness or loss experienced by so many.’ On 11th January Br Peter Gubi joined us to conduct a memorial service to celebrate the life of Br David Mallalieu, who sadly passed away in May 2025, and was remembered with much love by everyone there.
In other news, members of the Church Committee renewed their Level 1 Safeguarding training in September, despite technical problems on the day! On 24th August, we were invited to join our neighbours at Trinity Methodists for Worship and a shared lunch, a time of fellowship and food. Our Harvest Festival service on 28th September once again provided a much-needed boost for the Oldham Food Bank. Thanks to everyone who donated items. Sr Lesley Benedek led a moving and respectful service on Remembrance Sunday.
Finally, although we are sad to see Sr Shirley Grattan retire from her role as a Sunday School teacher, we appreciate and recognise her many years of devoted service to the young people in our Church. We thank her and wish her well for the future and hope she liked her voucher. Three birthdays were also celebrated: Sr Annie Geary recently celebrated her 97th birthday, Br Rupert Osborne celebrated his 99th birthday on 6th December, and Br John Coutts celebrated his 80th on 28th January. Sr Janine Coutts brought cake to church so we could share on his birthday. We hope they all had lovely birthdays and send both them and everyone God’s love and blessings.
Sr Hannah Coope and Sr Gail Holden
