#464: Which sounds like it should be a darts score
Dear friends, a brief message from me as I have given up reporting for Lent.
Or rather, I have taken up serious reporting only, so here is this weeks news.
Love Bertie
This Sunday
It is the first Sunday in lent, and we have servicees at 9.30am at St Paul’s, 10am at Woosehill and 11am at St Nick’s. A reminder that the services from St Paul’s and Woosehill are both livestreamed, and can be found on YouTube and respective Facebook pages.
The organ music at St Paul’s is:
Before (ca. 5’)
Von Bausznern – Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir
Anthem
Purcell – Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts
After
Dupré – Audi, benigne conditor (Le Tombeau de Titelouze)
World Day of Prayer – Tomorrow!
World Day or Prayer 2025
‘I made YOU wonderful’
On the first Friday in March every year the Day of Prayer begins on the international dateline, in Samoa. Early in the morning Christian women begin praying for our world. As the earth rotates a great wave of prayer begins to build. It sweeps across the Pacific, touching Fiji and New Zealand, rolling on through Asia: Japan, the Philippines, Korea, and Bangladesh. The countries of Africa and the Middle East are next. The wave reaches the shores of Europe as day dawns there. Across the Atlantic, it moves onwards, the Caribbean, the Americas, and on to the Pacific again until the sun finally sets over American Samoa where the final service takes place. A worldwide circle of prayer is complete.
This year Wokingham’s World Day of Prayer Service with the theme ‘l made you wonderful’ (based on the words of Psalm 139), is prepared by Christian women from the Cook Islands, which lie between the Tonga and Samoa Islands to the west and the Society Islands to the east, in the centre of the Polynesian Triangle. It will be held at Corpus Christi Church in Sturges Road on Friday, 7th March at 10.30am.
You are all welcome to this ecumenical service, which will be followed by refreshments in the Keenan Rooms.
More information: www.wwdp.org.uk
2 Ash Wednesday Reflections
If you missed going to an Ash Wednesday service yesterday, or would perhaps like to catch up, here is a sermon from Nadia Bolz-Weber which is well worth reading. Also, Cara’s sermon from Wednesday and the ‘Autism, Neurodiversity and Theology’ Podcast link mentioned.
A roll call of the human heart
Autism and Theology Podcast | CATChat 18: Autism, Neurodiversity and Lent
Lent Bible Study
This year’s Lent course will be introduced on Tuesday March 5th, and will run on Tuesdays from March 12th to April 9th. Please do join us for any or all of these sessions.
As usual we are meeting on Zoom, from 19.15 to 20.30. Here is the meeting link.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83876931293?pwd=V2dURU9WNExGb280QmhzSWE4elFIQT09
Meeting ID: 838 7693 1293 Passcode: 254711
The title is “Calling a Wounded Earth Home” and the weekly topics and readings are:
March 4th – Introduction to Lent – transition from Romans to the Lent course.
March 11th – Love, Psalm 148
March 18th – Truth, Jeremiah 6: 8-20
March 25th – Wisdom, Proverbs 8:22-31 and James 3:13-18
April 1st – Justice, Luke 19: 1-10
April 8th – Hope, Revelation 21:1-7, and Romans 5:1-11
The course materials are on line, and are designed for the group leaders. Should you wish to have a look, here is the link. However, all you need is yourself and your Bible.
Quiet Day and Lent Lunch, Saturday 8th March
What do we believe?
What do we mean when we say the creed week by week?
On Saturday 8th March, from 10am to about 1pm, a group will meet at St James Church Centre, Finchampstead RG40 4LU to contemplate and discuss the promises made at our baptisms through focus on the words of the Nicene Creed.
If you wish to bring lunch to St James and enjoy the quiet a little longer, we have the venue until 2pm. If you are planning to attend the St Paul’s Lent lunch, you could leave Finch a little early and not miss out on either! For further information and to book your place, contact mary.cassidy@spauls.org.uk
And…
The Social Committee & Mothers’ Union invite you to lunch in the Parish Rooms from 12.30-2.30pm on Saturday 8th March. We will be serving soup, bread and cheese. There is no charge for the food, but we are asking for donations to our 3 Charities. Please sign up at the back of the church or contact:
Trish trishgatland@hotmail.co.uk or Alan al_harrison@hotmail.co.uk
Lenten Foodbank Collection
Our Lent Foodbank collection will be happening on Sunday 16th March.
The current items they need include: Long Life Milk, Tinned Tomatoes, Cold Meat, Fish, Custard, Sweetcorn/Fruit, Cooking Sauces, Hotdogs, Rice Pudding, Coffee,Antibacterial Cleaning Spray, Washing up liquid, Conditioner, Female Deodorant, Tampons (NOT sanitary towels), Children’s Toothpaste, Baby Wipes, Size 5 nappies.
Good Friday Messy Church
A children’s activity morning is being planned for Good Friday (18th April) 10am – 12 noon. Last year’s event reached out to 36 children in 20 families. I will be using the email addresses collected then to invite those families back and would look to attract new families by advertising the event in local schools. Resources and plans are in place all I need now is a full compliment of adults/young people to man the activities. Please let me know if you would be free to help . Pauline Wells
St Paul’s Cathedral – Friday 11th April 2025
The choir will be singing Evensong in St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday 11th April at 5pm. We are hoping to organise a coach, providing enough people want to go by coach. It will leave the Parish Rooms car park at 10am and leave St Paul’s Cathedral at 7pm at the end of the day. The maximum price will be £25 (£7.50 for under 18’s). Please can you let Rhoda Hart know asap (prt.treasurer@spauls.org.uk) or sign up on the list at the back of church if you would like to join us on the coach.
The Cathedral are offering a 50% discount on sightseeing tickets to the Cathedral for supporters of our choir. If you would like to take up this offer, please email me (lesley_ruddock@hotmail.co.uk) by 16th March as I have to supply them with a list of names. Please note, these are entrance tickets, not tour tickets.
Everyone who wishes to come to Evensong is asked to queue up under the dome inside the nave shortly after 4.30pm. If you wish to sit in the Quire, please tell the Stewards that you are with the choir. Once the Quire is full additional seating is under the dome.
The Cathedral shuts immediately after Evensong so please arrange to meet up with family and friends outside afterwards.
Thank you
Lesley
February Lucky Numbers
Lucky Numbers is a monthly draw (previously called Spire 2000), which was launched in 1997. The money it raises is dedicated in providing a fund for restoration and renewals work at St Paul’s. Fifty percent of the total income from the sale of its shares is distributed as prizes to the first four winners of each draw throughout the year, and all remaining funds will go towards this restoration and renewals fund.
As time goes by, it is inevitable that the number of participants declines naturally, and the draw now requires more shareholders to the number required to sustain the current monthly prize structure of £50, £25, £15 and £10. Each share in the draw costs £2.00 per month and the total number of shares is unlimited so you can apply for as many as you wish.
The draw takes place monthly, at either St Paul’s or St Nicholas, Emmbrook.
Should you wish to take part in the draw to both support our parish church and enjoy the chance of being a winner, please contact Mary Cassidy at St Paul’s, Tony Roberts at St Nicholas, Emmbrook or Liz Gallagher also at St Nicholas. Tony Roberts can also be contacted by phone on 0118 9795351 or 07810 643770. We look forward to hearing from you.
he Lucky Numbers draw for January took place at coffee after Communion at St Nicholas on Sunday 26th January 2025.
Many Congratulations to the lucky winners:
£50 No. 38 Rev. Judi Hattaway
£25 No. 81 Janet & David Charlton
£15 No. 70 Margaret Davies
£10 No. 40 David & Lesley Ruddock
