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A message from the vicar, Revd David Cattle

Special announcement from our vicar, Revd David Cattle, on Sunday 3rd November 2019

PCC/MLT Retreat Day – what we decided

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) and the Ministry Leadership Team (MLT) went away for a Retreat Day on Saturday 12^th October. We spent the day at Margaretting Village Hall.

  This day was, first and foremost, about worship. Over 4 worship sessions, we read all the way through Paul’s letter to the Philippians, with prayers, hymns and reflections. In our last worship session of the day, we shared Communion together. It was wonderful to take a day out of our busy lives to be together, as the leadership of St Michael’s, to worship God.

  In the context of worship, we did some thinking and talking about the church – where we are now, what we want our vision to be, and what our priorities for the coming church year should be (the new church year runs from Advent Sunday 2019 to Christ the King 2020). And we decided two big things:

  First, we decided to keep our current vision prayer: “Jesus, teach us all to love”, as this really does say what we are about. And we are going to make sure that this is used consistently on our letterheads, invoices, website, and publicity. All older vision statements (some of which are still to be found in various places!) will drop out of use.

  Second, we decided to set 4 top priorities for the current church year. Having priorities doesn’t mean that we stop doing all of the other things we do, but these are the things that the PCC and MLT really need to focus on for the coming year. These 4 priorities are:

1. Renew Sunday worship: Renew the structure of the 10am Sunday service by (a) dropping the language of “rolling worship”, together with its associated strapline “come when you can and leave when you like”; and (b) trialling the removal of the breakfast break, to make one continuous service.
2. Develop a strategy for homegroups: (a) Promote homegroups across the church and encourage people to join one (including those who are new to the church), (b) provide support for homegroup leaders, (c) strengthen the connection between homegroups and the rest of the church, and (d) ensure accountability for homegroups and their leaders to the vicar and the PCC.
3. Respond to the Quinquennial Report: Act on the 2019 Quinquennial Report (i.e., make the repairs on our building that we have been advised to make), together with any necessary fundraising.
4. Renew stewardship: Renew our regular giving and our volunteering, through some kind of stewardship campaign.

In due course, we will issue more details about we will start these things.

  These are exciting plans for the coming year, which will help us to move confidently into the future as a church family, and which will help us to better serve our community here in Galleywood and beyond.

  If anyone has any questions or concerns about any of this, please speak with me or one of the PCC or MLT members.

  May God bless us and make us a blessing.

  David.

October 2018

Welcome to St Michael’s Galleywood!

  St Michael’s is a great Church – full of friendly people, and very welcoming to people of all ages. My family and I have felt very welcome here since I became the vicar in October 2018. I’m married to Kirsty, who is a surgeon, and we have a 3-year old daughter called Sophia. We also have a golden retriever called Bracken, and you can often meet me walking the dog on Galleywood Common.

  I am brand new to the beautiful county of Essex. I’m originally from the Isle of Man (I’m a real Manxman, born and bred!). I left the Island in 2003 after I felt that God was calling me to train to be a priest in the Church of England. (I used to be an accountant, and years ago I thought it was a crazy idea that God might call me to ordained ministry; but God, as they say, has a sense of humour, and here I am!)

  I trained for 4 years at Trinity College in Bristol, and then I served for 3 years in the Parish of Firswood and Gorse Hill in Manchester as a curate (trainee vicar). I then served as a vicar in the Parish of Digswell in Welwyn Garden City for just over 5 years, before taking 2 years out of parish ministry in Kings Lynn (where Kirsty was working at the time) in order to do some child-care for Sophia, and to try to complete a book-writing project. The book is still not finished, but please do ask me about it sometime. It is about the relationship between science and faith.

  In my spare time, I like to run, cycle, read, eat out, watch films, and listen to loud rock music (but not necessarily all at once). And when I was younger, I played loads of badminton, and I did magic tricks on stage. I have performed magic at all kinds of events – from children’s parties, to magic at tables at weddings, to big illusions on the big stage; and from traditional silent magic set to music, to ridiculous fast-talking comedy magic. I rarely do magic nowadays, although it does make an appearance sometimes in school assemblies or on special occasions. So you might see it sometime…

  I have pretty much always been a Christian, and my passion in life is to know God and to help other people to know him. My faith in Jesus Christ assures me that I am loved, and that every single person is special to God. All God’s works are “wonderful”, Psalm 139:14 tells us. My faith helps me to make sense of life, to feel a sense of meaning and purpose, to have a hope for the future, and to live a better life. Not that I can ever do this perfectly, but thankfully Jesus teaches us that God is eager to forgive and help us to do better.

  It is my mission to show God’s love to the Church, and to the whole Parish of Galleywood, so I will be praying for the whole Parish. And if you need me please do get in touch via the details on this webpage. Or you can meet me on Sunday mornings at 10am.

  May God bless you, and make you a blessing to others,

  David.