News & Events - Parish News

Almost there…

Ride+Stride for Churches.

Posted on Monday 1 September 2025 at 12:01pm

Ride+Stride for Churches.

Avid readers of the weekly pewsheet will hopefully know by now that Saturday 13 September, amongst other things happening at St Matthew’s that day, is Ride+Stride for Churches.

It’s the day when churches and chapels around the county are throwing their doors open to visitors. It’s also an opportunity to raise a bit of cash, for St Matthew’s but more importantly for the places of worship that desperately need maintenance, more than their congregations can cover. But if you’re not up to walking or cycling, you can still take part by sponsoring those in our congregation who hopefully will, or those who sit and record the visitors who come to us!

The county Historic Churches Trust is a body of voluntary organisations that raise money for the restoration and maintenance of historic churches and chapels, supported by the national Churches Trust. In 2012 St Matthew’s received a grant of £10,000 for our own major repair works.

Ride+Stride is an annual fun event run by the Trust, and it’s been taking place on the second Saturday in September across most of the country since it began in Suffolk in 1981. Last year, with your help, we at St Matthew’s raised £380, half of which came back to St Matthew’s – funds raised are divided equally between the Trust and the individually sponsored church.

So there are still two ways you can join in:

❖ You can walk or cycle on a route of Northampton churches taking part – and enjoy a fun and sociable day and see interesting places of worship that may not normally be open except for services.

❖ You can sponsor us with money – please do! Note that we donate ‘en masse’ for the riders/striders/recorders – all help equally.

Thankfully I do have the volunteers to steward St Matthew’s (we’ll be open between 10.00am and 2.00pm) and we will be welcoming and recording others visiting our church.

There’s still time to help!

Register your interest in walking/cycling or donating with me, either in person after Sunday Mass, or via the Parish Office letterbox in an envelope with a note giving your clearly readable name, address and phone number/email address, and addressed to Dorrie Parker, Ride+Stride (and if donating, please include it as cash or a cheque payable to NHCT, as it will save me chasing you later – it makes life SO much easier…!). Please indicate whether you would like to gift aid – which will go to NHCT.

Thank you in anticipation!

September's Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

Fresh and purposeful beginnings

Posted on Monday 1 September 2025 at 7:00am

Fr Nicholas

September always brings with it a feeling of fresh beginnings. After the (hopefully) gentler pace of summer, the rhythms of life return: children and teachers back to school, routines re-established, our uniformed groups and choir return, and the parish calendar begins to hum again with activity and anticipation.

This month, we are indeed richly blessed with opportunities to worship, to gather, and to reflect more deeply on the life of faith together. I warmly encourage you to join in as fully as you are able.

We begin on Sunday 7 September with our All-Age Mass for the Parish Family. These joyful gatherings remind us that the Church is, at heart, a family: multi-generational, diverse in experience, but united around the table of Christ. Whether young or old, new to faith or long in the journey, you belong here.

On Sunday 14, we keep Holy Cross Day, a moment to pause and gaze afresh at the mystery of the Cross. The cross is not merely an ancient instrument of death, but the sign of life, love and victory. It is the paradox at the centre of the Christian faith – ‘where life was lost there life has been restored’. Or, as St Paul wrote, “We proclaim Christ crucified… the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1.23–24). In a world that so often feels broken and burdened, we are called to take up our own crosses – not with grim resignation, but with the hope that resurrection always follows. The Cross is a place of radical transformation.

A highlight, the focal point of the month, is our Patronal Festival, the Feast of St Matthew the Apostle, on Sunday 21st, when we celebrate the apostle whose name our church bears. St Matthew reminds us that no-one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. A tax collector transformed into a gospel writer: this is the power of divine mercy at work. We will rejoice doubly that day as we welcome Aaliyah Marie Murphy-Smith as a new member into Christ’s family, the Church, through the sacrament of Baptism at the Parish Mass – a beautiful sign of new life, new calling, and God’s continuing faithfulness among us.

On Sunday 28th, we mark the 132nd Dedication Festival, giving thanks for the consecration of our church building, a place of prayer and community through generations. We honour not only the stones and mortar, the generosity of benefactors, but the living Church – the people who have offered worship, found solace, shared joy within these walls. Come and help us give thanks.

Then, as it were without pause, the following day brings the Feast of St Michael and All Angels (Michaelmas) on Monday 29th. This celebration of the heavenly host reminds us of God’s unseen presence and the spiritual dimension of our lives. Angels may not always be seen, but their presence assures us that God’s messengers are always near, bearing strength, protection and guidance.

So yes, it is a busy month, but it is also a blessed month. Every festival, every feast, every return, every gathering tells us something more about who God is, his purpose in and among us, and who we are called to be.

Please join us – not only to attend, but to be part of the living story of faith unfolding in our parish. And let us pray for a peaceful and purposeful September.

Your sincere friend and parish priest,
Fr Nicholas

August's Pastoral Letter from the Vicar

Faith in the heart of summer

Posted on Friday 1 August 2025 at 7:00am

Fr Nicholas

As the height of summer surrounds us, August offers many blessings – a season of rest and refreshment for some, a time of adventure and exploration for others. Whether we are travelling or staying close to home, we give thanks for these weeks of pause and possibility. We pray especially for the safety of our young people during the holidays, asking God to keep them from harm and to grant them joy and discovery in their freedom.

For many, August is also a month of quiet anticipation. Examination results are due, and for students and their families alike, it can be a time of hope, concern, and reflection. Let us keep them in our prayers: that they may be proud of their efforts, supported in any disappointments, and confident in the knowledge that God’s plan for each of them is rich with purpose and possibility.

This month also gives us the opportunity to deepen our faith through the celebration of three significant feast-days – each offering a different lens through which we can glimpse the glory of God.

On 6 August, we mark the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This moment, when Jesus is revealed in radiant glory before Peter, James, and John on the mountaintop, reminds us that behind the ordinary appearances of our world, there is always the possibility of divine light breaking through. In times of doubt or difficulty, the Transfiguration reassures us that Christ is both fully human and fully divine, and that God’s glory can be seen even in the most unexpected moments of our lives.

On 15 August, we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this feast, we honour Mary’s faithfulness and her unique place in salvation history. Her Assumption is a sign of hope for all Christians, pointing to the promise of eternal life and the dignity of the human body. As one who bore Christ into the world, Mary shows us what it means to say a wholehearted “yes” to God – and she continues to pray for us as we strive to do the same.

Then, on 24 August, we remember St Bartholomew, one of the lesser-known apostles, yet a faithful and courageous follower of Jesus. Tradition tells us that he carried the Gospel to distant lands, and his quiet perseverance encourages us to witness to our faith not always through great acts, but through steady, faithful presence in the world.

In the spirit of this faithful witness, we look forward with great joy to the final week of August, when our parish choir will be in residence at Llandaff Cathedral. This is both a great honour and a wonderful responsibility, as they lead worship in one of Wales’ most historic and beautiful sacred spaces. When they sing in that ancient cathedral, they do so not just as musicians, but as representatives of our whole parish – bringing with them the prayer, tradition, and voice of our community.

Their ministry through music is a powerful way of proclaiming the Gospel – lifting hearts, shaping worship, and bearing witness to the beauty of holiness. If you are able to attend any of the services in Llandaff that week, please do go and support them. Your presence will affirm both their hard work and the importance of music in our life of faith.

As always, our regular pattern of services continues throughout August, and we are grateful for the locum clergy who will be ministering among us during this time. Their presence ensures that our worship remains constant, our fellowship unbroken.

So let us enter August with thankful hearts – resting, reflecting, and rejoicing. May we see God’s light in the world around us, and may we, like Mary, Bartholomew, and all the saints, say “yes” once more to the call of Christ.

Your sincere friend and parish priest,
Fr Nicholas

Cathedral in Crisis

Posted on Monday 27 January 2025 at 10:37am

The Very Revd Chris Dalliston
(Dean of Peterborough)

Dear Friends,

Safeguarding concerns have presented a big challenge for the Church of England nationally, but, nearer to home, the now well- publicised financial issues facing our Cathedral have helped to bring home the challenge we are all facing, whether as individuals or as parishes, to make ends meet or to fund properly the ministry and mission of our church. Jesus said, “the poor you have with you always” – and it can sometimes seem as if we are always poor! From a Cathedral perspective it’s disappointing to be facing yet another financial pinch point when we’ve done so much to improve our financial management, and been so creative in the delivery of a fantastic array of exhibitions, events and activities. But like every other business, we’ve all of us been facing the same issues; Covid, the cost of living crisis, the rising costs of fuel and employment – they’ve all continued to pile pressure on our balance sheets.

We have launched an emergency appeal here, and we pray that that may be fruitful. But “we are afflicted but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair” writes St Paul in 2 Corinthians, and Jesus again and again called us not to be afraid or anxious because “your heavenly Father knows you need all these things”. The real challenge for us all is not one of systems, or process, or finance or funding – but faith.

Whatever we face as individuals or as communities – and we need to be responsible in our stewardship and disciplined in our actions – but above all we need to renew our trust in the living God: “strive first for the kingdom of God... and all these things shall be given to you as well”. (Matthew 6.33)

The Very Revd Chris Dalliston
Dean of Peterborough

Live-streaming, GDPR and Your Consent

Posted on Monday 16 September 2024 at 11:30am

Online live-streaming of services

Some of St Matthew's services (most Sunday mornings and some special services) are live-streamed or recorded for those who cannot attend church in person. Under GDPR, the church must gain the consent of anyone whose image may be captured, as this constitutes collection of "personal data". This includes clergy, readers/intercessors, musicians and congregation.

Whilst every attempt is made not to capture the faces of members of the congregation, this may occasionally happen if people turn around or move around the church during the service. The exception is communion, when the congregation is not filmed. The side aisles and back of the nave are so far as possible film-free areas not covered by the camera. Anyone whose personal data is collected must give their consent. Consent forms are available in church and online . The full policy can be read on our parish website or on the noticeboards in church.

Please read Our Privacy Policy - Filming & Photography and if you are happy to, give your consent by downloading, printing, signing, and handing in the form to a church representative or the Parish Office on your next visit. The consent form can be found at the bottom of the page.

Information Quick Links

Fundraising

Find out what charities St Matthew's will be supporting throughout the year. Take me there...

Weekly Notices

Take a look at this week's weekly notice. Read More...

Parish News

Read the latest parish news at St Matthew's Church. Read More...

St Matthew's Monthly Magazine

Packed full of information about activities and events taking place at or around the church. Download...

Join our Mailing List

To receive our email newsletter regarding the latest news and upcoming events at St Matthew's, kindly provide us with your name and email address below. By opting in and subscribing, you'll stay informed about our community, special services, insightful articles, and other valuable content.

Connect with us

Please show your support by following and subscribing to our church and choir social media channels, where you can find inspiring content, updates on our events and services, live streamed services, and uplifting messages.

Church Contact & Social Media

Choir Contact & Social Media