#516 An Easter egg made of cheese
As I was helping Fr Sam write this newsletter (let’s hope he makes fewer mistakes than last week), I was pondering what sort of reward he could give me for my services in the newsletter-editing department. He suggested I could eat the crumbs left from a hot cross bun, or the marzipan balls off a simnel cake. I told him very sternly about a mouse’s expectations, and he has gone in search of an Easter egg made of cheese.
Fr Sam writes
I am writing this Easter newsletter on the other side of the Triduum, the sacred three days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. I am about to take a deep breath and dive into these holy hours that tell the story of our salvation. I am nervous (I always am!) but it will, I am quite sure, be wonderful.
So, when it comes, a very happy Easter.
Image: “The Pietà”, Fra Angelico
This Sunday: the day of Resurrection
This Sunday is Easter Day, the first day of the new creation. On Saturday night we hear the Vigil readings that tell of God’s grace to the chosen people of Israel in the Old Testament, stories that we believe prefigure the work of Christ. Then, at dawn, we celebrate the Easter liturgy, with the new fire, Paschal candle and the renewal of our baptismal vows.
In our first reading at our mid-morning services, we hear St Peter preaching the good news of the Resurrection (Acts 10.34-43). Our Gospel reading has Mary Magdalene at the tomb, not recognising Jesus until he calls her name (John 20.1-18).
Image: “Noli me tangere” by Fra Bartolomeo
Services this Sunday
| 8pm on Saturday | St Paul’s | Vigil of readings and psalms | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
| 6am | St Paul’s | Easter Liturgy & First Mass of Easter | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
| 8am | St Paul’s | BCP Mass | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
| 9.30am | St Paul’s | Parish Mass | Fr Sam Tanna-Korn |
| Organ prelude: Variations on an Easter theme – Rutter Anthem: Greater love hath no man – Ireland Voluntary: Final (First Symphony, op. 14) – Vierne | |||
| 10am | Woosehill Church | Holy Communion | Revd Cara Smart |
| 11am | St Nicholas’ | Community Eucharist | Revd Judi Hattaway |
Coming up: Annual meetings
Our annual parish meetings (often known as the APCM) will take place on Sunday 26 April 2026 and will be held in the Parish Rooms at 5pm.
Anyone on the Electoral Roll is invited to attend the meeting.
At the meeting we will need to elect or re-elect two churchwardens for St Paul’s, four Deanery Synod Reps and up to five PCC members.
If you are interested in any of these roles and have been on the Electoral Roll for at least six months, please speak to Fr Sam, Lesley or one of the churchwardens as soon as possible and complete a nomination form. PCC meetings are held six times a year on Monday evenings.
If you wish to raise a matter under ‘Any Other Business’, please let Fr Sam or Lesley know by the Sunday before the meeting (19 April 2026). If you would like to ask any questions about the reports (especially the financial report) it is also very helpful if you are able to let us know beforehand as we might not be able to give a full answer off the cuff.
The papers for the meeting and the nomination forms are all available on our website and in hard copy at the back of church. Tea and coffee will be served at the start of the meeting.
Please consider whether you are called to stand, and pray for the life and work of the PCC, its effectiveness, commitment and openness to the guidance of God.
Lesley Ruddock, PCC Secretary
This week’s calendar: a week of Sundays
The week after Easter Day is known as the Octave of Easter. The Easter feast doesn’t finish on the Sunday, but stretches out into the week, where every day is treated as a Sunday. This allows us to bask in the glory of the Resurrection, and to remember that it isn’t just one day: Easter joy should break into every day of our lives.
Image: “The Resurrection” by William Blake
