#486 In which a new Rector writes
What a splendid week it has been in the parish of St Paul’s Wokingham! I was smiling from whisker to tail at the excitement of the institution and induction of Fr Sam and the licensing of Revd Cara last Thursday, and at the joint service of all three churches on Sunday morning, which showed off all the love and friendship that mark our churches.
Fr Sam and I sat down in the vestry with a few crumbs of cheese to work out how we are going to write this newsletter. I climbed onto the laptop and explained how everything goes just so. A mouse has standards to keep up. The poor man seemed in need of a bit of help, so I’ve agreed that I’ll sit with him while he puts the newsletter together and make sure it’s just right. After all, I have years of experience and know exactly how to slip a joke in when no one is looking. He chuckled heartily, and I do think he’ll get there. For now, we’ve agreed I’ll be his tutor and co-editor, and I must say, there’s something rather grand about training up a Rector in the fine art of parish scribbling!
From the Rectory
I am so happy to be in Wokingham! The past week has been a fabulous introduction to the place, and I am so glad to find the parish so brimming with energy and enthusiasm, and with the love of God. It was great to worship all together on Sunday, and I am likewise looking forward to worshipping in all the churches individually over the coming weeks. I’m also looking forward to being less clumsy and spilling less wine over the altar compared to last Sunday…
I have been asked a few times now if I am settled in and/or unpacked. The answer is that I am happily settled in and mostly unpacked – except for a number of boxes that I have labelled “problems” and hidden out of sight for now! My books are unpacked (no small task, though I’m glad that the Rectory study has space for my library to grow into) but I do still need to get them into order rather than having them jumbled all over the place. That will no doubt come in time.
It has also been good to start getting to know members of the congregations and I am looking forward to meeting many more. Do please invite me for tea/coffee/food: I’ll be delighted to accept all invitations. You can email me (rector@spauls.co.uk) or call/text/WhatsApp me (07440 338056). I would be enormously grateful to hear from you and really look forward to coming to see you.
Fr Sam
Rector
This Sunday – don’t forget your bags!
This Sunday we are marking the beginning of the school term, so bring along school (or work!) bags ready to be blessed at both the 9.30 service at St Paul’s and the 11am service at St Nick’s. J Club at St Paul’s and Children’s Church at St Nick’s are also starting up again.
The readings this Sunday are an interesting pair. In our first reading, St Paul writes to Philemon about a runaway slave, Onesimus, in a letter that has important lessons for how we live our lives today. And in our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us about the radical cost of Christian discipleship and asks if we are ready for it.
This Sunday (12th after Trinity):
St Paul’s: 8am BCP Mass and 9.30am Parish Mass (Fr Sam Tanna-Korn)
St Nicholas’s: 11am Community Eucharist (Fr Sam Tanna-Korn)
Woosehill: 10am (Revd Cara Smart)
Ride & Stride
Saturday 13 September is Ride & Stride Day, to raise money for the Berkshire Historic Churches Trust, and for St Paul’s.
If you would like to support this, please pledge to give some money by signing a sponsorship form. Nigel Traylor and Andrew Harte will be at the back of the church with the sponsorship form after the 9.30 Service at St Paul’s on Sunday 7 September. This will be the last chance to sponsor us before the event.
You can give cash straight away, or after the 13th, whichever suits you – or, if you don’t use cash, you can pay by BACS directly to the church account:
Account Name: PCC St Pauls; Sort Code: 20-11-74; Account Number: 80683752; with the reference of “Ride n Stride”.
Andrew still needs a few more people to be Welcomers in the church on the day. If you could spare an hour to be in the church on Saturday 13 July, please contact him: rideandstride@spauls.org.uk
Season of Creation service
In a couple of weeks there is a joint online service between the two partner dioceses of Oxford and Växjö to mark the “Season of Creation”.
Click on the image or here to register for the online service
This week’s calendar: an important birthday
This coming week includes a special birthday: 8 September is the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. This day has traditionally been the main date when the Church of England has celebrated her. It’s a good occasion to think of her and of how her “yes” to God’s call on her life allowed the Incarnation of Jesus to happen, and for the world to be saved through him. How might God be calling us this week? How can we, like Mary, say “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word”?
Image: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Giotto, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua
