Easter Services 2015 in Stanley

Please join us at St Peter’s Church on Lake Lock Road and at the Methodist Chapel on Mount Road for our Easter services next month: we will be very happy to welcome you.

 

Sunday 29th March, 10am

Palm Sunday Parade Service: The service will begin at Mount Road Chapel: half-way through the service the congregation will walk to St Peter’s for the rest of the service.

Wednesday 1st April, 7.30pm

Holy week Taize service: a contemplative style of worship with meditative music.

Thursday 2nd April, 7:30pm

Maundy Thursday Passover meal at St Peter’s Church. A special evening service and meal to celebrate the Last Supper. Please let us know if you’d like to come so we know how many people to expect.

Friday 3rd April, 2pm

Good Friday Hot Cross Bun service: a very popular service for all ages, followed by crafts and refreshments.

Sunday 5th April, 10am and 10:30am 

Easter Day services: Easter Sunday family services at 10am at St Peter’s Church or at 10.30am at Mount Road Chapel. Everyone is very welcome.

Friday evening, 13th March, 7:30pm

‘Saving Mr Banks’ (2014)   12 Rating

Emma Thompson was nominated for a BAFTA for her role as the Mary   Poppins author P.L Travers in the film ’Saving Mr Banks’.  The film was inspired by the extraordinary untold tale of how this, one of the most   beloved stories of all time, was brought to the big screen.

The film is a poignant, sharply funny and moving recounting of Walt Disney’s (Tom Hanks) quest to fulfil a promise to his daughters to make a film of their favourite book, and of its fiercely protective author P.L Travers (Thompson), who has no intention of letting her beloved nanny go to  Hollywood.

The film follows Walt as he pulls out all the stops to change her mind and both have to face some uncomfortable truths about their childhoods. Together they set Mary Poppins free to become one of the most endearing films in cinematic history.

Free admission, tea & coffee, but bring your own popcorn!

Film shown at St Peter’s Church, Lake Lock Road, doors open 7pm

Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent

This month sees the beginning of Lent, the 40 days of preparation running up to Easter.  Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on Wednesday 17th February.

The forty days of Lent is a reference to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert fasting and praying, and preparing for his public ministry. He also taught his disciples to fast, so that they had time to focus on God and make time for prayer.  Prayer and fasting often go hand in hand; ‘So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.’ (Ezra 6:23)

Sometimes people might fast by missing a meal during the day to make time to seek God (although obviously this isn’t suitable for some people).  Others might refrain from TV or alcohol, or whatever else might get in the way of being fully focused on God.

In recent years, there have been campaigns to encourage people to start doing something during Lent, instead of giving something up.  These might include carrying out a random act of kindness every day, or something more planned such as volunteering, or actively helping a neighbour in need.

Celebrate the start of Lent, and commit to giving something up, or starting something new, at the Ash Wednesday service at St Peter’s Church on Wednesday 17th February at 7.30pm.

Friday evening, 13th February, 7:30pm

‘Dan in Real Life’ (2007)    PG Rating

Starring the incomparable Steve Carell, this light-hearted romantic drama centres around the character of Dan Burns (Carell), a newspaper columnist, widower, and single father of three girls who travel to his parents’ house in Rhode Island for a family reunion.

Dan encounters a woman called Marie, who he feels an instant connection with, but then she turns out to be the new girlfriend of his younger brother! And so the comedy begins…

Full of believable, yet quirky characters, gentle humour and a sweet and engaging storyline, this film was released without huge fanfare, but has received excellent reviews for its poignancy and superb storytelling.  The film also stars Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Alison Pill and Britt Robertson.

This film was a bit of a low-key release, but has had some excellent reviews.

Free admission, tea & coffee, but bring your own popcorn!

Film shown at St Peter’s Church, Lake Lock Road, doors open 7pm

Friday evening, 9th January, 7:30pm

‘Life of Pi’ (2012)    PG Rating

Life of Pi is an adventure drama film based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel of the same name. Directed by Ang Lee, the film stars Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Gérard Depardieu, Tabu, and Adil Hussain.

The storyline revolves around an Indian man named Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, living in Canada and telling a novelist about his life story and how at 16 he survives a shipwreck in which his family dies, and is stranded in the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

Life of Pi emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning over $609 million worldwide. It was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards which included the Best Picture – Drama and the Best Director and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. At the 85th Academy Awards it had eleven nominations, including Best Picture, and won four (the most for the evening) including Best Director for Ang Lee.

Free admission, tea & coffee, but bring your own popcorn!

Film shown at St Peter’s Church, Lake Lock Road, doors open 7pm

Friday evening, 12th December, 7:30pm

‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’ (2012)    PG Rating

Based on the 1938 book of the same name by Richard and Florence Atwater, ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’ is a comedy about how the surprise appearance of a penguin at a New York businessman’s door turns his life completely upside down, while simultaneously teaching him an important lesson about the value of family.  Mr Popper (Jim Carrey) lives in an exclusive Park Avenue apartment, has his sights set on    becoming a partner in his firm, and is an every-other-weekend father to his two children.  A ruthless developer with no time for anything but business, he resolves to deal with his father’s parting gift of a penguin by getting rid of the annoying bird as quickly as possible.  That proves much more difficult than expected, even with the help of his ultra-efficient assistant Pippi, who speaks primarily in p’s, and he soon winds up with six penguins.  Even more unexpected is how markedly those penguins begin to affect the relationship between Mr. Popper and his children and how that change affects the rest of Mr. Popper’s life.  This is a delightful, fun film that will entertain the whole family.

Free admission, tea & coffee, but bring your own popcorn!

Film shown at St Peter’s Church, Lake Lock Road, doors open 7pm

Friday evening, 14th November, 7:30pm

‘Private Peaceful’ (2012)    12 Rating

An ideal film to watch as we remember 100 years since the start of World War 1, ‘Private Peaceful’ is an adaptation of the brilliant best-selling novel by Michael Morpugo.  It tells the story of the unbreakable bond between two brothers during World War 1, in which they are transported from childhood innocence in the fields of Devon to the  violence of the battlefield in Flanders.  In the trenches they experience the brutal injustice of war, far removed from rural family life, and their rivalry for the beautiful Molly Monks.  Directed by Pat O’Connor and with an all-British cast including George MacKay, Jack O’Connell and  Maxine Peake, this is a powerful and emotional tale of injustice, love, heroism, and fierce family ties that will never be broken.

Free admission, tea & coffee, but bring your own popcorn!

Film shown at St Peter’s Church, Lake Lock Road, doors open 7pm

A date for your diary in November. On  Sunday 9th November at 10am will be our Remembrance Sunday Parade service.

Join us as we remember those who gave their lives while in service to their community and their country.  The service will be attended by uniformed group.

Friday evening, 10th October, 7:30pm

‘Philomena’ (2014)    12 Rating

Falling pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena (Judi Dench) was sent to the convent of Roscrea to be looked after as a “fallen woman”.  When her baby was only a toddler, he was taken away by the nuns for adoption in America.  Philomena spends the next fifty years searching for him but with no success.  Then she meets  Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a world-weary political journalist who happens to be intrigued by her story.  Together they set off to America on a journey that will not only reveal the extraordinary story of Philomena’s son, but also create an unexpectedly close bond between Philomena and Martin.  The film is a compelling narrative of human love and loss that ultimately celebrates life, showing that there is laughter even in the darkest places.

Free admission, tea & coffee, but bring your own popcorn!

Film shown at St Peter’s Church, Lake Lock Road, doors open 7pm