St Stephen's Elton

The Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch visited St. Stephen's, Elton, on Thursday 20^th September, 2007

After praying in St Stephen's, the bishop visited the after school club at St Stephen's primary school where he met senior staff and governors. Next, the bishop was taken to the Royal Lancashire Fusiliers museum, in Elton. Parish Reader,  Joyce Fowler is a volunteer at the museum, and St Stephen's is the Royal British Legion church for the town and its vicar, the Legion's local chaplain.

The bishop then visited Bolton Road Methodist Church, in the centre of the village, where he met the minister, and toured the building, which includes a large, modern sports hall. St Stephen's and the Methodist Church already share regular acts of worship, including a united Whit walk, and the two churches are keen to work more closely together in the future.

A reception in the Centenary Room at St Stephens was well attended; guests including local MP, David Chaytor, the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Bury, local councillors, as well as local school heads, representatives of the Police and Fire Services, and of the Royal British Legion.

Most of those at the reception joined church members for the Pilgrimage service which followed. Two senior members of the church, Irene Platt and Ron Smith, made an engaging and humorous presentation, about the story of St Stephen's over the years, for which they received a spontaneous round of applause. Handing the Commonwealth Games baton back to the bishop were three generations of the same church family: Arthur and Betty Lamb, their daughters, Nicola (a Brownie leader) and Viv, together with  their children,

Photos from this Run the race Bishop's pilgrimage

the youngest of whom spoke as the baton was presented.

Nearly everyone present came forward to be anointed by the bishop, many of whom commented afterwards how much they had enjoyed the service and how they had been touched by the bishop's address on the theme of persevering through adversity.

The vicar, The Revd. Stephen Harrop said: 'a number of people told me, "It felt like what the bishop was saying was meant specially for me!" '



Reflecting on the Bishop's pilgrimage visit, Mr Harrop continued: 'Run the Race has strengthened links between the church and the community and fostered considerable goodwill towards the church, as well as giving us a focus for reaching out into the community.'

'The visit has boosted our morale: in the church, the school, and the community. Personally I have been encouraged by the bishop, by people's responses to our  invitations, and by their response to the bishop's words to us on the evening.'