Advent marks the beginning of the church year. It is a time for reflection in darkness, for renewal of hope and for preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ. Purple is the traditional colour of the season, symbolising repentance and fasting, but also royalty. #JoinTheSong

This week's pew sheet with our daily services, readings and notices.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. It marks the beginning of a season of waiting, a dark season of longing for the lights and warmth of Christmas. We find waiting very difficult. Waiting confronts the illusion that we are control. It’s very easy to believe this in our

This week’s pew sheet

We all enjoyed our annual Advent/Christmas lunch at Legh Arms. This was after our Advent Sunday Sung Eucharist. Many thanks to Liam Forrest for singing the Advent Prose and Comfort ye my people from Handel's Messiah and to Dan Pugh-Bevan for his accompaniment and arranging

This week's pew sheet and notices. On Wednesday we host Button Lane Primary Primary School's Christingle Service at 6pm. And next Sunday, 17th December, at 4pm there are Lessons & Carols with singers from Royal Northern College of Music. All welcome to both services, no tickets needed.

6BI really enjoyed learning about and making their Christingles ready for our service on Wednesday. Thank you to Reverand Caroline for coming to help us St. Michael & All Angels, Lawton Moor

What a magical Christingle we had this year. Thank you for attending and supporting our finale to the Christmas period. Well done to everyone involved and thank you to St Michael’s and All Angels for hosting.

Such a blessing to hear the story of Christ's birth in scripture readings and carols at our Lessons & Carols Service yesterday. Thank you to Dan Pugh-Bevan and all the musicians from the RNCM for singing and accompanying us. And to Maria and her team for the buffet afterwards.

It was a great pleasure to welcome Bishop David to St Michael's this morning and to host the Manchester South and Stretford Clergy Chapter meeting.

The First Sunday of Lent After Jesus is baptised the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. Wherever your place of wilderness, Jesus has gone before and you will know that he is with you when you see his bow in the sky.

High-level maintenance team on-site to sort out the high-level roof.

Behind our huge, 1930s blue doors is peace and quiet and an amazing stained glass window. #ChurchDoorChallenge

It was a great joy and pleasure to welcome Mark, Bishop of Middleton, to St Michael & All Angels for our Festival Eucharist with Holy Baptism and Confirmation. Congratulations to our confirmation candidates 'God has called you by name and made you his own.'

Bishop Mark also blessed and rededicated our restored altar frontal of St Michael the Archangel. We are so grateful and very blessed to have it restored. The amazing restoration work was carried out by the embroiders at Royal School of Needlework