Perfect grass growing weather! [254]
Hello again! Joke of the day… A sandwich walks into a pub. And the barman screams at him: “Get out. Didn’t you read the sign outside? We don’t serve food on Mondays.”
Thank you- perhaps I should stick to the day job, which, as you know, is courageous investigative journalism. Like this…
Sunday Morning
Please keep booking for St Nick’s at 11am- Woosehill at 10 is followed by the AGM on Zoom at 12- and the service at St Paul’s at 9.30am is the (roughly) annual Introduced Eucharist. Cara will introduce each section of the Service with a reflection and a helpful question. The text of what she is saying is well worth keeping and referring back to as a way of helping us go more deeply into the life of the Church community and get more and more out of the service we share in so often- and it’s here:
Important things of importance. Important stuff, in other words
We are taking a secret collection for Cara’s present as she is ordained priest. Please could you either put it through the door of the Rectory or Parish Rooms or put it in an envelope on the collection plate clearly marked with the cause you’re supporting. You can also make a donation online as long as you make Cara the title of the donation. Thanks.
We are also going to replace the picnic on the 27th of June after Cara’s first Mass with a drink in the churchyard or Rooms- people from St Nick’s and Woosehill won’t be able to get there in time but the hope is that they’ll want to do something to celebrate with Cara next time she is there- any donations of fizzy wine or lemonade etc can be left on the doorstep of The Rectory. (Are you sure this is a real notice, Richard, and not just an attempt to restock your drinks cupboard?- Bertie…) Oh, if we’re doing this, then Cara likes cheese a lot and you should also leave cheese on the doorstep.*
Lucky Numbers Draw for June 2021
The four June Lucky Numbers winning numbers were selected at random by Meg Corfe on 17th June.
The lucky winners were:-
£50 No 33 Petra Johnstone
£25 No 52 Roy & Beth Holmes
£15 No 79 Janet & David Charlton
£10 No 92 Janet & David Charlton
The promoters trust that all our subscribers remain safe, well and cheerful in the unusual circumstances imposed on us at present.
The Draw is a simple way of raising funds for repairs and renewals to the church building. One share (number) costs £24 per year and the draw takes place monthly (either at St Nicholas’s or St Paul’s) for prizes of £50, £25, £15 and £10. All remaining funds go to the Restoration Fund. If you would like to subscribe, or want further information, please contact Tony Roberts (979 5351), Liz Gallagher (989 1176) or Mary Cassidy (979 5096) – or in person at church (Mary at St Paul’s, Tony or Liz at St Nicholas’).
Dwelling in the World/ Listening to God
We are still working on listening better to what God is doing and wanting and calling us to… here are some notes Mary made about the practice of listening…
Dwelling in the World or, Who have I noticed and met today?
In other words …
Becoming alert and observant of the people in the world where God has set us.
The Father sent the Son into the world, the Father and the Son send the Spirit, and they
together send the Church. Particular aspects of this practice are recognizing “people of
peace”, potential partners in mission and forming a public relationship with them.
Trying to notice, and really pay attention to, the people we interact with in the places where
we live, work, relax, shop, study, etc. Remembering that Jesus is present everywhere I go and
in everyone I meet. Expecting to see God at work there, we seek to learn from them and be
changed by them.
To reflect
How can I make time to think about who God has sent to me today, and what the
message is?
One way is to set aside 10-15 prayerful minutes at the end of each day to review the day.
Where did God bless me? Through whom? Thank Him. Consider what I learned. Perhaps write
it down. What does God want me to do about it? How else did I see God at work? (These steps
derive from the Ignatian practice of Examen).
How can each of us effectively feed what we have noticed into the life of the wider
church?
How are we (how am I) going to maintain the sense of community that we have found
through the Covid-19 Lockdown? The little acts of kindness, the greater awareness of
our neighbours?
*We are genuinely collecting drinks but not cheese. Just to be clear!
