StAG
MAG
November 2016
[email protected] • www.stag.org/mag •
Alasdair
Paine
standrewthegreat •
@StAG_Cambridge
DEAR FRIENDS…
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
In December we say goodbye as a church to Nathan Buttery, our Associate Vicar for families,
as he and Debbie, plus Matthew, Anna, Samuel and Isabel move to Preston. Nathan will be
installed as Vicar of All Saints’ Church on the evening of 10th January.
I need hardly say how much we will miss them. Nathan came to StAG in 2008, and on the
day he started work Mark Ashton was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Nathan served the
church up to Mark’s Christ-glorifying death in April 2010; he then looked after things during
the interregnum before I arrived in January 2011. Nathan has led our home groups and
families’ work, including having oversight of all the children’s and youth activities, and the
small army of people who serve there. I thank God for his integrity, humility, Bible focus,
love for people, hard work and so much more. He is a pastor through and through, a friend
who can be relied on, a man who knows his Lord. The people at All Saints’ will be very well
served with him as their minister. Please do be praying for the whole family as they make
the move. Their final Sunday with us will be 18th December, but there will also be a
bring-and-share lunch at noon on Sunday 4th December, with an opportunity for us to
say thank you and farewell ahead of the Christmas holidays.
Talking of Christmas… once again, we have a superb opportunity to introduce the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ to our friends. There are due to be six big
carol services to choose from - different dates and styles. At each, the
glorious news we celebrate at Christmas will be explained as clearly
as we know how.
Tom
Beaumont
This is not your final
destination
- Page 2 -
Preparing
for
Preston
Goodbye to the
Butterys
- Page 3 -
Good great Joy
of
News
Luke
2:10
People
for
all
- Page 4 -
RECOVERING ADVENT AWE
The countdown is well under way; Christmas is now less than 40 sleeps away! For many
of us though this prospect can be daunting, as Christmas can often be a fraught and
exhausting time, with stressful family relationships, financial pressures or struggles with
loneliness. Whilst it isn’t uncommon for many of us to approach Christmas with a sense of
foreboding, it is peculiar that we so easily lose sight of the wonder, magnificence and
jaw-dropping splendour of what took place at the first Christmas.
Tim Chester's new book, The One True Story, is a set of 24 short reflections on the first
Christmas: what took place, and what it means for us today. The book is packed with fresh
insights to remind us anew of why Christmas is so amazing! The book is so good we've
bought a bulk load of them, and would love for everyone to get a copy to read during Advent.
It would be ideal as a quiet time read, and I highly recommend buying a copy — at a bargain
price of £1 — while stocks last!
-1-
The One True Story
By Tim Chester
£4.99 £1