Ascension to Pentecost, APCM Election Results, Lighting Proposal, Eco Tips and May News
- Apr 29
- 11 min read
May Sunday Services at a glance
Sunday 3rd May
The Fifth Sunday of Easter
8am Eucharist
9am Bubble Church
10am Sung Eucharist with Junior Church and Crèche
Sunday 10th May
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
8am Eucharist
10am Sung Eucharist with Junior Church and Crèche
Sunday 17th May
The Seventh Sunday of Easter
The Sunday after Ascension
8am Eucharist
9am Bubble Church
10am Sung Eucharist with Junior Church and Crèche
Sunday 24th May
Pentecost
8am Eucharist
10am The Liturgy of the Feast of Pentecost with Junior Church and Crèche
Sunday 31st May
Trinity Sunday
8am Eucharist
10am Sung Eucharist with Junior Church and Crèche
May Worship Highlights
Rogationtide is the season of prayer before Ascension Day, traditionally marked by asking God’s blessing on the land, crops, work, and community. It is a time to give thanks for creation, pray for those who care for it, and remember our calling to be good stewards of the world God has made.
Ascension Day celebrates the risen Jesus being taken up into heaven, forty days after Easter. It reminds us that Christ reigns with the Father, prays for us, and sends his Church out into the world to bear witness to his kingdom.
Pentecost comes fifty days after Easter and celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit to the disciples. Often called the birthday of the Church, it marks the moment when fearful followers of Jesus were strengthened and sent out to proclaim the good news to all nations.
Trinity Sunday invites us to worship God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the mystery of one God in three persons.
Holy Week and Easter
A huge thanks to everyone who took part in our Holy Week and Easter worship. It was a great success!
Fools Gold
Fools Gold featured true stories, songs, visuals and live music and was held on Saturday 25th April in aid of Parkinsons UK. A brilliant night was had by all and an impressive £487.25 was raised on the night, with an extra £80 being donated since. Donations are still welcome, please see Tony or Viv Wilson.
Bible Course
Our 8-part Bible Course has come to an end. If you missed any (or all of the) sessions you can catch up on the Bible Society Website. You will have to sign up for an account but the content is all free.
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
This meeting was held on 25th April and reported on changes to the electoral roll, parish activities and financial matters, and elections (see below).
A summary of the Vicar's Report:
Over the past year there has been much to thank God for in the life of our church. We have continued to see signs of growth, with increasing numbers on Sundays and during the week, larger congregations at Christmas and Easter, more visitors, and a rise in life events.
We have also sought to look outwards with confidence. Our Mission Week helped us share more of who we are with the wider community, bringing some surprising and encouraging outcomes. The Murder Mystery evening was another great success, bringing people together and strengthening our common life.
There are also encouraging signs of greater sustainability. More people are becoming involved in church life, including servers, sidespeople, and others who support our worship and welcome. Lay leadership in Bubble Church has also grown, which is a real sign of health and shared responsibility.
St Mary Magdalene has taken some of the Vicar’s time and attention this year, but the appointment of Fr Mark as Community Missioner in both parishes has been a huge help. Sharing office facilities and beginning to share vision, especially around children, young people and families, is already bearing fruit.
Looking ahead to 2026/7, we want to build on the good work already happening with children, young people and families. We will continue to offer good teaching and meaningful worship for all ages, and seek to grow both in number and in spiritual depth. The Basement Project which aims to provide a safe “third space” for high-school-age children should be back up and running by the end of the year. There will be set up a Choir Development Project. Though it will come at a cost, it will help establish a junior choir and strengthen our musical life. This will be kickstarted by a legacy from Margaret Coldbeck.
We are also developing a Pastoral Team to bring together our pastoral care more systematically and to share that ministry more widely.
Alongside this, we will continue to attend to the fabric of the church building, including proposals for improved lighting both outside and inside the church. (See below).
A key priority for the coming year is to increase giving, not simply by asking the same people to give more, but by encouraging more people to give and by building confidence in those who support the church financially. This will allow our church to flourish.
Finally, sincere thanks are due to all who play their part in the life of the church: the Churchwardens, PCC, treasurers, safeguarding team, and everyone involved in worship and music, children’s ministry, and the care of our church and grounds.
2026 Election Results
At the Annual Meeting of the Parishioners the following were elected to the office of Churchwarden:
Mr David Cowen
Mrs Chris Gravell
At the Annual Parochial Church Meeting the following were elected as members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC):
Mrs Christine Adams
Mr Paul Cuthbertson
HHJ Tim Gittins
Dr Clare Mears
and the following were elected as Deanery Synod Representatives (and ex officio members of the PCC):
Mrs Jennifer Brown, Reader
Mrs Jen McCafferty
Mrs Jen Shields
They join on the PCC: The Rev'd Benjamin Jarvis, The Rev'd Dr Fraser Charlton, The Rev'd Mark Oliver, Mr Anthony Francis, Mrs Claire Francis, Mr Graham Garnham, Mrs Pat Halliday, Ms Sally Robertson, Mr Chris Thomson, Mr Colin Thomson, Ms Helen Whitfield.
Thanks go to Philip Emmerson whose term on the PCC came to an end at the APCM, and also to our late brother Les Hodson who was for twenty years a Deanery Synod Representative.
Electoral Roll
In simple terms, the Church Electoral Roll is the official list of members in a Church of England parish who have the right to vote on church matters. Think of it as a "register of members" rather than just a list of people who attend services. It is the foundation of how the local church is governed.
If you live in the parish, or have been worshipping with us for six months, and you have not already completed this form, please do.
In 2025 everyone had to fill it in. This year only new members do.
Lighting Proposal
We have been exploring how to improve accessibility to church. In the evenings and winter months it is very dark outside the church, and it can be difficult, even unsafe, using the paths. A proposal has been approved by the PCC improve the lighting in different stages:
Replace and add to the lighting affixed to the outside of the church.
Replace the lamp post at the bottom of the path by the car park.
Light the path from the car-park to the church hall door (with lights affixed to the handrail).
Replace and add to the lighting outside the Basement doors.
Replace and add to the high-level uplighters and spotlights in the church.
An aerial image of the external proposed works is below.
The estimated cost is £21,900 (inc. VAT). We will be exploring any possible grant funding, but we really do need your support to be able to afford this. When these proposals come to fruition it will make such a big difference to how we can use our church!
Please explore the giving page below to help!
Giving to St Bart's
At St Bart’s, generosity takes many forms: time, prayer, skills, and financial support all help sustain our worship and mission. As a growing church, everything we do (and everything we hope to do in the future) is made possible through the generosity of those who support our life together.
Our Giving Campaign page explains how the church is funded, what your giving makes possible, and the vision we share for St Bart’s in the years ahead, along with practical ways to give and answers to common questions.
Church Cleaning
Come along on Saturday 2nd May at 9am for Church Cleaning! Many hands make light work!
Freedom of the Borough of North Tyneside
Re-Affirmation Parade
The Officer Commanding and Cadets of 2344 (Longbenton) Squadron Air Training Corps invite the pleasure of your company to join them for the
Re-Affirmation of the Freedom of the Borough of North Tyneside
to be held on Saturday 9 May 2026, 2pm
at St Bartholomew’s Church, Long Benton.
The squadron will be issued and parade its new banner following the service. There will be a light food and drink selection and a raffle in the church hall afterwards where all proceeds will go to the squadron.
We have an excellent relationship with our local squadron (Fr Ben is their Chaplain) so it would be great to support them.
E-Recycling
This is what we did with the items we collected at our March E-Recycling event. Small electricals, cables, light bulbs etc. were recycled locally. Used printer cartridges raised £57.65 for Transform Trade through Recycle4Charity. The postage stamps were sent to Parkinson's UK to raise funds for their research. An enormous bag of medicine foils was delivered to Superdrug for recycling into items such as playground and hospital equipment. Through your kind donations, we have enough funds to put up several bird boxes in the church grounds.
Please do continue to save medicine foils, postage stamps and used printer cartridges. These can be dropped off at the monthly Fairtrade Stall, which is held on the second Sunday of the month after the 10am service. The Eco Group are planning a further e-recycling event in September so watch this space for further news.
Summer Grounds Day
Saturday 6th June
Time tbc
On the day after World Environment Day we plan to make up the bird boxes, build a bug hotel, weed the paths and generally tidy up our churchyard. Do note the date and come and join us.
Eco Tip of the Month:
Support Pollinators
Nothing says Spring like the buzz of a bee! However bees are declining in number. Wednesday 20th May is World Bee Day. This year's theme is "Bee Together for People and the Planet - A Partnership That Sustains Us All". Look around to see how you can improve habitats for bees and other pollinators. You could plant some bee friendly flowers or reduce pesticide use and pray for the rejuvenation of these crucial pollinators. Even small efforts make a difference.
Bubble Church is a Sunday church service especially for babies, toddlers, and young families. It's a puppet-packed, Jesus-centred, coffee-and-food-fuelled, 30 minute kids and families adventure.
Even if you regularly attend, please do sign up. It really helps us to prepare.
Remember our fun and informal Junior Church and Crèche run alongside our 10am Service, so children are very welcome to stay for that too, or come along on a week when Bubble Church isn't running.
Note that Bubble Church is on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, and May has 5 Sundays!
Confirmation
Confirmation is the chance to make your baptism promises for yourself and to be strengthened in the service of God. The bishop leads the service of confirmation and says
"Confirm O Lord your servant with the Holy Spirit".
Anyone who is baptised and able to speak for themselves can be confirmed although it is usually for teenagers and adults. Those who are baptised as adults should be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.
Please speak to Fr Ben if you would like to be confirmed.
Craft Club
The Craft club is held every Thursday at 1pm in the Choir Vestry. All are welcome to bring along whatever they are working on or just drop in for a coffee and a chat.
Speak to Ann Luckley for more information.
Monday Club
The Monday Club is a friendly and welcoming group open to everyone, with a special focus on providing fellowship and community. Each week we enjoy refreshments, conversation, and the chance to catch up with friends old and new.
May Meetings (1:30pm on Mondays)
4th - Closed (Bank Holiday)
11th - John Parker, Borders People
18th - Social
25th - Closed (Bank Holiday)
Paschal Candle
The Art group have recently finished work on this years Pascal Candle. This is the second year they have done this and were slightly more adventurous with this years offering. The decorations depict scenes from the stained glass windows located in St Bartholomew's.
Art Group
Our Art Group continues to go from strength to strength, we meet fortnightly on a Wednesday At 11.30am and a Saturday at 12pm. If you are interested in joining please speak to Louise in the office.
May Meetings
Saturday 2nd
Wednesday 13th
Saturday 16th
Wednesday 27th
Saturday 30th
Date for your diaries
Our curate, Katherine Vacher-Day will be ordained at Newcastle Cathedral on Sunday 28th June 2026 at 3pm. All are welcome to attend this service. Katherine's first Sunday with us will be Sunday 5th July.
REMINDERS
Did you know that you can contact the Parish Office via WhatsApp?
Add us:
01912662015
Are you new to church?
Thinking of coming along for the first time? Just go for it!
We know it can feel intimidating not knowing what to do or where to go, but here you’ll find a warm welcome on the door and someone ready to help with everything you need. Our main Sunday services are at 8am (quiet) and 10am (with music), with midweek Holy Communion on Tuesdays at 6:30pm and Wednesdays at 10am, and daily prayer at 9am and 5:30pm. Plus the church is often open for you to sit and pray during the day.
Children are always welcome: we have Junior Church and a crèche at the 10am service, plus Bubble Church for toddlers and young children. We’re fully accessible, and everything in our services is explained; there’s no need to worry about when to sit, stand, or join in, and a friendly neighbour will always be glad to help.
Regularly hearing God's word, praying, praising, and receiving communion will change your life for the better. And we'd love to welcome you.
Morning and Evening Prayer
The Daily Offices (Morning and Evening Prayer) are the Church’s ancient pattern of prayer that punctuates the day with praise, intercession, and reflection on Scripture. From the earliest centuries, Christians gathered at set hours to pray on behalf of all creation and for the salvation of the world, with morning and evening soon becoming the principal times of prayer.
This tradition continues at St Bart's.
9am Morning Prayer
5:30pm Evening Prayer
These services weave together psalms, Bible readings, and prayers in a rhythm that unites individuals, congregations, and religious communities across time and place.
Whether prayed alone or together with others, the Offices give shape to the day, ensuring that, echoing George Herbert’s words: “seven whole days, not one in seven” are given to the praise of God and the forming of God’s people through word and prayer.
Come along and try it.
NB There are usually no services on Fridays.
Everyday Faith App
Everyday Faith is the daily devotional app from the Church of England designed to inspire, equip and encourage you in your faith every day of the week. The app will provide you with carefully curated daily reflections, including selected Bible readings, a simple prayer to prepare you for the day ahead, and thoughts based on that week’s theme.
Search for "Everyday Faith" on your phone's app store, or click Download for iOS or Download for Android.
Easy Fundraising
Easy Fundraising is a website which gives the church (or any charitable cause) free money. Businesses like Tesco, Argos, and Marks and Spencer pay Easy Fundraising a small commission when they direct you to their website to spend money. They forward that money onto us.
For example, if you buy your groceries online from Morrisons, go to Easy Fundraising first, and click on Morrisons. Then when you checkout, Morrisons gives us £1.30 as a thank you. You will need to make an account and select St Bartholomew's as your cause.
It may sound complicated, but once it's set up it's free money for the church!
Reminder: Home Communion
There are some permanently housebound members of our congregation who are taken Holy Communion to their home. This is bread (and wine) which has been consecrated by a priest at church, and then taken by a member of the Home Communion team to be distributed at home or hospital.
But this is not just available to those who cannot come to church at all. If you have been unwell or for any reason unable to attend for a couple of weeks, get in touch! We will visit you and bring you the sacrament.
Also, if you are unwell, or would like to be added to our prayer list, please tell us. Do not assume we know!