Dear friends
We find ourselves after Easter listening in church to the stories of the risen Jesus. This week we look forward to the Ascension of Jesus into heaven and then to Pentecost. Let us pray for our churches that we grow more into his purposes for our lives as a community together. Let us look with anticipation for what he has for us this week.
Have a great weekend
Peter
While Louise is on sabbatical, the principal points of contact are as follows:
Gill Yates, St. Margaret’s: [email protected]
Caryll Ingerslev, St. Luke’s: [email protected]
Please send all contributions for the newsletter material for A Church Near You to Tony Raven: [email protected]to Gill by the end of Thursday and
Services and calendar for the week
Saturday 4th May
8.00 a.m.
2.00 p.m.
Prayer Breakfast
Wedding
St. Margaret’s
St. Margaret’s
Sunday 5th May
10.00 a.m.
10.00 a.m.
Holy Communion
Holy Communion
St. Margaret’s
St. Luke’s
Monday 6th May
7.00 p.m.
Compline
Zoom
Tuesday 7th May
9.00 a.m.
Morning Prayer
St. Margaret’s
Wednesday 8th May
10.00 a.m.
1.15 p.m.
Morning Worship
Lunchtime concert
Zoom
St. Margaret’s
Thursday 9th May
10.00 a.m.
7.30 p.m.
Mini Messy Church
Ascension Day service
St. Margaret’s
St. Margaret’s
Friday 10th May
9.00 a.m.
Morning Prayer
St. Margaret’s
Sunday12th May
10.00 a.m.
10.00 a.m.
3.00 p.m.
6.30 p.m.
Holy Communion
Holy Communion
Open The Story
Evensong
St. Margaret’s
St. Luke’s
Forest School
St. Margaret’s
N.B. St. Margaret’s will be closed on Monday morning for a private booking.
The Zoom links and meeting IDs for all the Zoom events are on our pages on ACNY (A Church Near You)
St. Luke’s church is now open on Wednesday afternoons between 2.00 and 4.00.
All are welcome...
To look around
To sit quietly for a while
To light a prayer candle
To pray
News and Notices
Electoral Roll – The APCM for St. Margaret’s will be on Wednesday 8th May.
A copy of names on the current electoral roll is available in church. There is a concern that there are some discrepancies. Please check the list and let Paul Jakeman know:
1. If your name is not there and you think it should be.
2. If there are names there that shouldn’t be ( e.g. people who have moved away).
3. If you would like to be added to the electoral roll. There is a form to fill in.
Before the APCM, Annie Jeffries will do a presentation on Anna Chaplaincy.
Anna Chaplains offer spiritual care in later life. There may be people in our community who would like to train as an Anna Chaplain. This is a chance to find out all about it. All are welcome. Refreshments from 6.45 p.m. with the talk starting at 7pm.
The APCM will then follow on at about 7.30 p.m.. Further refreshments will follow the APCM!
PCC If anyone would like to stand for the PCC, please let Gill or Paul know. There is still time to offer and we really need new people!
Lunchtime Concerts Wednesdays, 1-15 – 2.00 p.m.
May 8th - Phil Bonser and Dorothy Raven, clarinet and piano.
Saturday May 4th – Kit Reynolds, from St. Luke’s is abseiling from the top of Exeter Cathedral’s Norman North Tower to raise funds for the Cathedral. His sponsorship link is below.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/kit-reynolds-abseil
He would welcome any sponsorship!
Big Music Collective
There are 2 music wellbeing events in May.
Free Arts Award Taster Day at St Margaret's Church, Topsham - Sat 11th May, 10.30-2 p.m. 7-11yr olds.
Book Free Space & Info: https://www.bigmusiccollective.com/service-page/arts-awards-taster-day?category=9b82e67d-a9b8-4b33-87b0-283aff407e55&referral=service_list_widget
Big Silly Gig at Theatre Alibi's Centre of Imagination - Sat 18th May, 10am, 4-7yr olds (siblings welcome)
More Info: https://www.bigmusiccollective.com/bigsillygigs
Tickets: https://theatrealibi.co.uk/production/big-silly-gig/
Please see ACNY for further details.
Saturday 11th May - You are invited to come along to St. Luke’s Church Rooms to enjoy a ‘Big Brekkie’ to raise money for Christian Aid. Revd. Tony Raven and his wife, Dorothy, have once again offered to be chief cook and assistant.
Breakfast will be served between 9 and 10am, and 10 and 11am. It would be very helpful to know when people are coming, so please let Jill Allen know to which ‘sitting’ you will be coming.
You can sign up to which sitting you would like your brekkie, on a list which will be at the back of the church, or you can contact Jill by e mail [email protected]. – or phone 01392 271458.
Christian Aid Week
Friday 17th May Christian Aid lunch at St Margaret’s 12.30-1.30- come and join us for lunch of soup, bread, cheese and (as it’s not Lent) cake and coffee to follow. All are welcome. Donations to Christian Aid.
Pentecost Celebration Exeter Cathedral, Sunday 19 May at 6pm
Thy Kingdom Come: 9th-19th May 2024
The period from Ascension Day to Pentecost is a time when the worldwide church is called to prayer. There are lots of ways for us to join in this year:
‘Novena’ prayer booklets with a written reflection for each day are available from both churches this Sunday to take home for your personal prayers during the period. We also have a few copies of the Prayer Journal which includes QR links to videos and space to write your own reflections. These are available from the prayer area here at St. Margaret's.
Online resources: you can download the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ App or sign up for daily prayer emails from the website https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/thy-kingdom-come
St Margaret’s church will be open daily for prayer with interactive prayer stations around the church.
Holy Communion for Ascension Day Thursday 9th May 7:30pm at St. Margaret’s.
On Sunday 19th May we are all invited to the Pentecost celebration service at 6 pm at Exeter Cathedral. Prayer and worship will be led by Bishop Jackie and Bishop James, with music led by Andy Flannagan and a talk from Ruth Valerio. We would like to make this a Mission Community event and we are joining with members of St Luke’s, for a picnic from 4 pm on the Cathedral green before the worship. If you would like to join us, please give your name to Reverend Maggie Stirling-Troy [email protected] or Caryll Ingerslev [email protected] so that they can book our free tickets on eventbrite.
Summer Study and Fellowship groups
The book chosen for the summer session is “Holy Habits” by Andrew Roberts. Meeting in the social area of St Margaret's Church, 11 a.m. - 12 noon, with tea/coffee from 10.40. Starting on Wednesday 29th May for ten weeks. All are welcome.
St Luke's are reading the same book, starting on Thursday 30th May, 3-15 pm - 4-15 pm, meeting in their Church rooms and also serving tea/coffee. All are welcome.
Exmouth Food Bank
Supplies We Are Short Of This Month – May 2024·Tins of baked beans & spaghetti hoops
·Cereals
·Stir in pasta /pasta bake sauces
·Tins or packets of soup
·Tinned fruit
·Peanut butter
·Jars of jam
·Coffee
·Tea bags
·Packets of biscuits
·Shampoo & conditioner
The Exmouth Foodbank urgently needs bags for life/large plastic bags to enable people to carry their food parcels home. Thank you.
Many thanks for your support. We simply couldn’t do this without you!
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
For further information email: [email protected] 07787758511
Please find the newsletters for St. Margaret’s and St. Luke’s attached.
Prayers
For those who are ill or in need of our prayers:
Roger Fogwill, Lucy, Pauline, Jill and Adrian, Michael, Kirsten, Chris Whitehead, Fay, Tony Bradford, Marlene Gardner, Pam Wormald, Mary, Peter, John Heal, Gail Miller
Housebound or in nursing/care homes:
Alfred Wonnacott, Janet Mutter, Georgina Lear
Please pray for Anne Plested supporting the work of Bethlehem Bible College, and Ben and Katy Ray in Tanzania, St. Luke’s CMS mission link
Anniversaries
Lilian Gibbins
Jean Billen, John Armitage, John Mould, Geoffrey Robinson, Hilary Dangerfield, Gordon Simpson, John Strong, Richard Gardner, Valerie May, Jean Johnston, Frank Dovey
Gospel Readings for the coming week
Sunday 5th May John 15: 9-17
Monday 6th May John 15: 26 – 16:4
Tuesday 7th May John 16: 5-11
Wednesday 8th May John 16: 12-15
Thursday 9th May Acts 1: 1-11
Friday 10th May John 16: 20-23
Saturday 11th May John 16: 23-28
Sunday 12th May John 17: 6-19
Collect and reading for Sunday 5th May
God our redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son: grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy; 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.
John 15.9-17As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.