weekly notice sheet 29th march 2020 fifth sunday of lent Readings Ezekiel 37.1-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8.6-11; John 11.1-45 Collect Prayer Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world: grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen download the sermon for this week THE SERMON IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO RECORDING ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS BY DIALING 01872 306996 AN AUDIO RECORDING OF MORNING PRAYER IS AVAILABLE EACH WEEKDAY ON THE SAME NUMBER. God of compassion, be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation. In their loneliness, be their consolation; in their anxiety, be their hope; in their darkness, be their light; through him who suffered alone on the cross, but reigns with you in glory, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Supporting Good mental health The Church of England have produced a series of reflections on how to cope with anxiety and loneliness in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, including simple Christian meditation techniques. The first is a reflection on living in isolation. Day One - Living in Isolation Self-isolation is much talked about as a way of protecting ourselves, and one another, from coronavirus. Even for those of us who like solitude, this can be too much of a good thing. For others, the thought of being cut off from others for a long time is little short of soul-destroying. Isolation can be a cause of anxiety, fear and depression. Read more. from bishop philip Dear friends, How very different life seems now than it did less than two weeks ago. It would hardly be surprising in that context if you weren’t reeling with the shock of it all. And shock is the right word. Of course there’s shock - and worse - for those personally touched by the Covid-19 virus. But there’s shock too for us all. How strange it seems to see the natural world burst into life before our very eyes, while we struggle with the reality of death amongst us! I want to say a huge thank you to the way you have responded to the challenges this crisis has posed for us, and for the way you have faced them with resilience, creativity, faith, hope and good humour. That speaks volumes about you all. I’m very proud to be your bishop! This is our chance to show that church is so much more than a building – and more even than worship on Sundays: and that’s exactly what I see so many of you doing. What does the future hold? We just don’t know. I suspect that the society and the church that emerges from all this will be different: but not necessarily worse. I hope we will all be enabled as a result to live more lightly and lovingly on this earth; being more relational, faithful and hopeful and embracing a lifestyle that is truly sustainable. The world may have changed; the world may yet change – but our God has not. He is faithful and he is good. Let’s trust him all the more here in the present that we may truly be his body in this hurting world, and work together for the in-breaking of his Kingdom that is to come. With my love and thanks to you all +Philip all saints worshipping together Young Saints Alice Bevan, our Youth Worker will be running virtual Young Saints sessions on Sundays at 10.30 using Zoom. If you would like your children to join in, please contact Alice
[email protected] Last week Alice led a session over the internet about Mothering Sunday. This week the theme is rainbows! You may have seen that people have been putting rainbows in their window to make people smile. In Young Saints this week we are going to be sharing the story of Noah and the meaning behind the rainbow that God put in the sky. church news and notices The building maybe closed but the Church is open! Due to the need for social distancing we now have to follow government guidelines and shut the church completely apart from a Foodbank collection service. You can read the Church of England's official statement here . Of course, we are continuing to stay in touch regularly with those in our congregation who need special care and we encourage you to check in regularly by phone or email with those you know in the church and wider community. The church is the people, not the building. Please pray for this aspect of our church life, especially hold in your prayers the Foodbank team, our volunteers, and those coming for help. RCH car park barriers are up! Last week we communicated to NHS staff that they would be able to use our church car parks freely since staff at the hospital have to pay for parking. With the Government decision to invite retired healthcare professionals to return to work this was a welcomed offer by many. For four days the car park was filled with cars with lovely messages of thanks to the church community in their windows. On Thursday we heard that the company who manage the car parks at the RCH have now agreed to lift the barriers and allow staff to use them free of charge! A real answer to prayer. Please pray for the hospital staff, the NHS and all its workers. Morning Prayer Each day Jeremy at All Saints, and Janette at Epiphany House will keep morning prayer. If you would like to join with us from home you can use the common worship website for the words and readings. Click Here Shortened version of morning prayer will also be available as an audio recording each day by dialing into our dedicated phoneline 01872 306996 . Phone and hear the daily readings, and call again on a Sunday and Saturday for the weekly sermon. More ways to pray at home We have set up a brand new webpage on our website where we will add prayers, reflections, sermons and other resources to help us during this time when we cannot meet in person. The webpage is here - click and check it out. Items for prayer Please pray for the volunteers and users of the Foodbank and Acts 435 both services are receiving increased requests at this time. Pray for staff and patients at Treliske and other hospitals. Staff desperately need more and better protective clothing. Pray for school staff, parents and children, especially the most vulnerable, who may not be any safer at home. Pray for all those experiencing bereavement and not able to grieve in the normal way at funerals at the moment. Pray for the family of Graham Dash whose funeral will take place on Wednesday 1st April at 11.30am. Pray for the family of Terry Allison whose funeral took place on Tuesday 24th March. Pray for the Pastoral Team as they stay in touch with members of our community and attend to those in the local area with particular needs. Pray for our new team of Community Comforters - Roger, Diana, Lynne, Jill, John, Anna, Magda, Mary, Martyn, Moyra, Gyl, and Karen. This team have volunteered to respond to particular requests made by some of the more isolated and vulnerable members of our local community. We remember with thanksgiving Janet. Please pray also for Janet's sisters' Jane Mitchell and Jean King and their family. Janet's funeral took place on Wednesday 25th March. We give thanks for Janet's life and for all the treasured memories that her family have. May she rest in peace and rise in glory. Amen. ENCOURAGEMENT The Acorn The new All Saints article celebrates the good works that are our going in our community. Written for the Threemilestone Contact magazine it brings faith and community together. Read More Choose love and feed your faith instead of your fear . A few thoughts to consider this week. Because God is good, he always works to bring about good in our lives, through all things, even the bad. 1. When feeling worried because things are bad. Romans 8:29 reminds us that God always works to bring about good in our lives: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” 2. Is this because God is angry? Contrary to what some are saying, the coronavirus is not the judgment of God for the sin of the world. Because of God’s great love for us, Jesus bore not only the judgment of God for sin but also our sickness and disease. Bad things happen. Jesus reminded us: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage — I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). STAYING WELL NHS.UK Everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus. You should only leave the house for 1 of 4 reasons: shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home How to stop infection spreading There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with coronavirus. Looking after your wellbeing To help yourself stay well while you're at home: stay in touch with family and friends over the phone or on social media try to keep yourself busy – you could try activities like cooking, reading, online learning and watching films do light exercise at home, or outside once a day For more advice, see: Every Mind Matters: 10 tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus Every Mind Matters: how to look after your mental wellbeing while staying at home strength and flex exercises you can do at home Contacts Clergy Vicar: Revd Jeremy Putnam (01872 261944) rest day is Friday. Curate: Revd Janette Mullett Churchwardens: Simon Bray (07724 168789) Jane Tomlinson (01872 273542) Staff Team Youth Leader: Alice Bevan (07450 997945) Operations Manager: Lucas Bostdorff (07511 214450) Safeguarding Co-ordinator: Irene Mortimore (07889 822951)
