This Sunday
25th July 2021
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"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ," (Ephesians 3:17b-18) | |
What is the most important thing that people need to know?
Knowledge is power. It helps us to make wise choices in life. We need certain knowledge to do our jobs. Learning what people are like helps us to relate to them. But what do we need to know more than anything else?
Paul prays that we will know how great God's love is. It is a love that is far larger and all-encompassing than we can possibly grasp. "So high we can't get over it and so low we can't get under it" - as the old children's chorus goes.
As the pandemic and its related uncertainties and challenges continues, it is easy to forget what we really need to know. Let's come together this Sunday, whether at church - where we will now all be able to sing, or watching online if you are still feeling uncertain about returning to church - and be reminded of Christ's incredible love for us.
This email is the first of an occasional summer email. I won't be sending one out every week over the summer holidays, but I will do when there is important information to share. This week I want to let you know to what extent we are lifting the restrictions in church.
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Join us this Sunday. We will be looking at Ephesians 3, Love in three dimensions | |
Please read on...
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Prayer: Changes to church services. The latest prayer requests. Weekday prayer meetings through the summer.
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Care: PCC briefing.
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Share: Christians in the England Football Team. News from Dick and Caroline Seed
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Changes to Church Services
There are no longer any legal restrictions to our services because of Covid. However, we are encouraged to be cautious. So in trying to strike a balance we are going to make the following adjustments to how we run our church services:
- Track and Trace: is encouraged but not obligatory. So, we will encourage people to either scan the QR code with their Covid app or give their name to people on registration. We will no longer be asking people to register before attending church.
- Those welcoming people on the host team and serving refreshments will wear masks when doing so.
- Social distancing: We will keep every other row blocked off and encourage people to ask anyone already sitting in a pew, whether they are happy for you to join them to sit in the pew.
- Congregational Singing: This will now be allowed and encouraged.
- Singing Group: Will remain socially distanced with individual microphones.
- Mask wearing: Optional for all in the congregation.
- Holy Communion: We will carry on in the same manner as at present.
- Refreshments: People will be invited to remain behind to chat with others and refreshments will be provided. However, people should be careful not to gather in large numbers in a small area.
- Children: Families to still be encouraged to sit at tables and worksheets will be provided for children during the service.
I hope you will agree these are sensible measures. When you do attend do be sensitive to the needs and anxieties of others - even if you are not worried yourself.
As time goes on and the risks diminish, then we can consider moving back to the normal running of church. In particular, we are still aiming to restart children's groups in September.
Prayer Requests:
Be assured I will do my best to check that people are happy for the requests to be shared before including them. Please pray for...
For those on holiday, that it will be a good time of refreshment. Jeannette (Claudia's sister), who has now completed her course of chemotherapy and waiting for scan results. Please pray that the cancer has gone. The family of Grant, Rosemary Ebelthite's relation in South Africa who we prayed for recently. Sadly he passed away on Tuesday morning. Rosemary Ebelthite's 16 year old grandson Eric in Auckland. Give thanks that he is improving and pray that this will continue. Flo Baldock - now back home, but on antibiotics for a stomach infection. Please pray for healing. Pauline Emptage waiting to hear from King's College Hospital about next steps for treating her back. Nathan Court for his continuing treatment.
Please also continue to pray for: Jean Mayton, Shirley Crabb, Collette Judge, Barb (Gloria's daughter's friend), Jean Simmons, Rita Ryan and Joy Smithers.
Daily Prayer Meetings
As we are now in the summer holiday period, we are going to temporarily reduce the number of prayer meetings. There will be two each week running through the summer:
Thursday, 9:30am - In St. Luke's Church
Saturday, 9:30am - In St. George's Church
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PCC Briefing
We had a special PCC meeting on Monday. We covered a number of different items around use of the hall and improving the fire safety of our buildings. There was also a discussion about how to adjust our services in the light of the changing situation with Covid.
The main point of discussion was to agree a proposal as to how St. George's and St. Luke's would share their costs. Around £50,000 of the Parish Share goes to paying for all the costs of having a vicar, who is now shared between the two churches. We also plan to have a shared office and administrator. It was agreed that for the second half of this year and for 2022 the churches would split these costs 80% for St. Luke's and 20% for St. George's, with an aspiration to having a two-thirds to one third split in 2023. This will help St. Luke's to meet our costs this year and more so next year. However, we still need to raise a significant amount of extra money in 2021 beyond that already committed (around £15,000).
In other good news, we have been given a grant for £10,000 towards our Parish Share in 2020. This means we no longer owe anything to the Diocese for previous years.
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Last Week's Talk:
United in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22) - Available Online
Paul is talking about the transformation Jesus makes in our lives. In this passage he focuses on the transformation in relationships for those who come to Christ. Our differences no longer matter.
This was Claire, our curate's first sermon with us.
St. Luke's Stories
Do remember to send in personal stories, poems etc. to share with others. Why not have a look at what is already there?
Interesting Links
Christians in Football
It is not often I feel like sharing a newspaper article on this email. However, this article from the Guardian tells us about the faith of some of the England footballers that have done so well in the recent Euros.
The Latest News from Dick and Caroline Seed
It is winter in Cape Town, and it is raining! Something to be grateful for after the terrible drought a few years back. Last week, however, it was sunny and warm for our short winter break on the Klein River Lagoon at Wortelgat, close to Hermanus on the south coast. We enjoyed five days of tranquillity in an unspoilt nature reserve. We hope you enjoy the photos of the beautiful Cape scenery and wildlife, including the friendly eagle owl...
Read more...
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Finally, let's pray that we will all grasp the true size of Christ's love for us.
Yours in Christ,
Paul Worledge
Vicar, St. Luke's Ramsgate
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