Dear All Saints and St Mary'sThis past week the Holiday Bible Club was blessed by a visit from the Saltmine Theatre Company. With their gifts and talents in writing, acting and teaching, Emily, Anisha and Frankie guided us through the "Lost" parables in chapter 15 of the gospel according to Luke. After retelling the parables in their own, original style, they guided the children through different approaches to telling the stories.Not many of us have the skills to stand up on stage and present bible stories to children. However, God has given us all different gifts. The Holiday Bible Club needs many gifts from singing to first aid, from teaching to making lunch. It is only by working together to combine those gifts that the Holiday Bible Club can happen.This is true in life and in the church. God calls us to work together, to use our different gifts to do more than any of us could do on our own. This is a central message of Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth. He reminds us that, just like the different parts of the human body, God made us all different so we could work together to do more than any of us could on our own. (See 1 Corinthians chapter 12.)So, I would like to thank Saltmine for their contribution to this year's Holiday Bible Club. I would also like to thank everyone else who was involved to make a joyful, thoughtful and creative couple of days.This Sunday is the fourth Sunday of the month, so we have Holy Communion at 08:00 at all Saints and 10:00 at St Mary's. At 10:30 at All Saints we have Café Church, where we will continue our journey through the gospel according to John. At Café Church this month, we will be reflecting on the idea of Identity in the light of Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's well. This story is in the fourth chapter of the gospel.This gives the following services for this Sunday, 26th July:08:00 All Saints Holy Communion (said)10:00 St Mary's Holy Communion10:30 All Saints Café ChurchIn the coming week we have our usual midweek services. Next week is the first Sunday of August, so there is Creative Church at St Mary's at 10 am and Evensong at 6.30 pm. At 10.30 am there will be Holy Communion at All Saints. This gives the following services for the coming week:\Wednesday 29th July All Saints 09:00 Celtic Morning PrayerThursday 30th July St Mary's 10:00 Holy CommunionSunday 2nd AugustSt Mary's 10:00 Creative ChurchAll Saints 10:30 Holy CommunionSt Mary's 18:30 EvensongWe thank God for all his gifts and blessings and pray for the wisdom to use them together for the service of others and to his glory.Yours in ChristMark
Dear All Saints and St Mary’s,As I prepare for my first weekend as a newly ordained deacon, I simply want to say thank you for your welcome, encouragement, prayers, gifts and cards. Beginning my ordained ministry is both joyful and humbling, and I am excited to start this new chapter with you all.Throughout many seasons of life and faith, I have found myself returning to these words from Isaiah:"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you and help you..." (Isaiah 41:10)These words have encouraged and nurtured me for many years, and they felt especially significant throughout my ordination weekend. Again and again, the same message seemed to emerge in different ways: in Bishop Neil's charge to us as ordinands, in the gospel reading in the ordination service, and in the beautiful Stopford anthem, Do Not Be Afraid, sung at Evensong in St Mary's on Sunday evening.It's struck me that, as helpful as these words have been to me, perhaps these are words many of us need to hear and be reminded of from time to time. Whatever lies before us — new beginnings, uncertainty, worries, responsibilities or challenges — may we hear again God's gentle reassurance: Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Our worship and readings this weekend help point us to this continual presence.I am looking forward to settling into the Benefice full time, getting to know you all a little more, and seeing what God has in store. My new contact details are at the bottom of this email, should you wish to get in touch at any time.The opportunities to join us for worship this Sunday are: 8:00 am - Holy Communion, All Saints10:00 am - Sung Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30 am - All-Age Communion Celebration, All Saints Join us at All Saints to celebrate our young people, Junior Church and Muddy Messy ChurchThe week aheadMon 13th Jul 10:30 am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsWed 15th Jul 9:00 am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsThu 16th Jul 10:00 am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sFri 17th Jul 11:00 am – Living After Loss, St Mary’sSat 18th Jul 12:00 -1:30 pm - Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSun 19th July10:00 am - Baptism and Holy Communion St Mary's10:30 am – Sung Holy Communion, All SaintsGenerations at the vicarage - Speak to Revd LizzieBlessings Revd Charlie Blackett
A Motley CrewDear All Saints and St MarysMy first training incumbent used to refer to the disciples as a "motley crew". I rather liked that phrase - it made it feel like you didn't have to have it all together to be a disciple of Christ. The gospel reading from Matthew this Sunday names the first 12 disciples and there has been much laboured theological conversation about who was chosen and why. And yet when we look at the those 12, they are by no means people of great statue - and none of them endured long arduous interview processes. Yet Jesus called them and they responded. And this is what the church was built on - not ready made immaculate, sorted and well positioned people, but a motley crew of all sorts and misfits. At Muddy/Messy Church this week we continue to look at that calling of God's people in different ways - come along and see which Saint's story we are learning about. As we worship together across both churches on Sunday we can be assured that the church still calls people of all shapes and sizes and from all places to be God's good news in the world and that is worthy of many an Alleluia to be sung. Please find attached weekly readings, St. Marys notice sheet and also our Holiday Bible Club Poster - send it to friend and family and encourage one another to sign up or speak to John Waldren or Lizzie about being involved with the wider team. Also come along Sunday afternoon at 2pm to St Ambrose this Sunday to be part of the "Musical Notes" event and support both our choirs in their musical medley with others.Our Worship is as followsThis Sunday - 14th June8am - Holy Communion - All Saints10am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys10.30am - Muddy Messy Church - All SaintsThe week aheadMon 15th Jun 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 16th Jun 10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish RoomsWed 17th Jun 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsWed 17th 2:00pm – Bible Book Club, St Mary’sThu 18th Jun 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sFri 19th Jun 11:00am – Living After Loss, St Mary’sSat 20th Jun 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSunday 21st June10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s 10:30am – Holy Communion, All Saints 7.15pm - Generations Youth Group - All SaintsBlessingsRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds