Dear friends,Please find below details of what’s coming up tomorrow, and over the next few days across Middle ESK Moor.We welcomed Jackie Newton to preach for us last week. If you haven’t met Jackie yet, she’s training to be a 'Licenced Lay Minister’ (a role previously called ‘Reader’) and she’s going to be getting more involved across all our churches over the coming months. It was wonderful to welcome Jackie to Lealholm and Egton.Included below and attached are some photos and information following our ‘Team Transition’ event for the current Year 6 children across our schools. Many thanks to everyone that helped to make the day such a success.Tomorrow, I will be at the ordination of my wife (Reverend Sam Mawer) as Priest in Robin Hood’s Bay. We welcome Reverend Marion Gardner at Lealholm and Reverend Steve Foster in Goathland to lead our services. They are very much looking forwards to coming and celebrating Holy Communion at St James’ at 9:00 and St Mary’s at 10:45. If you would like to attend Sam’s ordination, details are below. And later on tomorrow, at 4 pm, there is an opportunity to say farewell to Bishop Paul at a special service in Whitby at St Hilda’s Church.And finally, two weeks today, on Saturday 20 July, you’re invited to our first joint meeting for our four parishes at Egton School, 2:30 to 5:30 pm - further details are below.Looking forwards to catching up with you soon.With love and blessings,Reverend AnthonyComing up this weekSunday 7th July9:00 Traditional Holy Communion in Lealholm at St James'10:45 Traditional Holy Communion in Goathland at St Mary'sIf you know Reverend Sam and would like to come to her ordination as Priest, here are further details:10:00 Ordination Service at St. Stephen’s, Robin Hood’s BayIf you would like to say farewell to Bishop Paul, on the occasion of his retirement, this event is coming up tomorrow too:4:00 pm Deanery Evensong at St Hilda's Whitby - a Deanery Farewell to Bishop PaulWednesday 10th July8:30 Contemplative Communion in Goathland - please contact us for further information.Thursday 11th July10:30 - 2:30 Vi's Community Cafe in Grosmont at St Matthew's1:30 - 2:30 Play Space in Grosmont at St Matthew's Grosmont‘Team Transition’On Monday afternoon last week, Year 6 children from our local primary schools met up at Egton Village Hall for a transition afternoon, which was hosted by members of our churches across Middle ESK Moor and the wider deanery. The afternoon included lots of fun team-building activities that helped the children get to know one-another a little better.If you have a current Year 5 or Year 6 child in your family, about to move up to the next school year, we are planning two events for you and your child during the summer school holidays. There will be fun activities, games and crafts…on Tuesday 23 July and Monday 12 August,1 pm to 3 pm at Egton Village Hall, with a free lunch from midday onwards. Please could all children to be accompanied by a parent or carer. To book your places please email us in the first instance: welcome@middleESKmoor.org.Middle ESK Moor Parishes MeetingOur first joint meeting of our four parishes will be taking place on...Saturday 20th July, 2:30-5:30 pm at Egton Primary School (note new venue)At this special event we will be building on all the hard work we have done over the last year to develop our key priorities. We will be defining what we want to specifically focus on and achieve collaboratively over the next three months. Everyone is welcome - you don’t need to be on one of our parochial church councils (PCCs) to take part.Sunday 30th JunePrayers and ReadingsOur prayers and readings for last Sunday can be downloaded from this link.Jackie’s PrayerO Lord you are here with me.Open my eyes to your presence.Open my heart to your love.Help me to make room for youIn my life, in my work and in my home:That I may be at home with you and know that you will dwell with me.In this space and stillnessMake me aware of your presence.Amen.---The Reverend Anthony BennettmiddleESKmoor.orgEnriching– Sharing - Knowing
Dear friends,Please find below details of what’s coming up tomorrow, and over the next few days across Middle ESK Moor, plus a copy of my sermon from last week.I’m also absolutely delighted to congratulate Rosa and Phil on their marriage last Saturday. We had a wonderful celebration in Goathland, at St Mary’s and then in The Hut, to celebrate their civil marriage together, which had taken place at the Registry Office in Whitby earlier in the day. The whole event was such a wonderful occasion! Do get in touch with me to discuss further if you or someone you know would like to get married in one of our beautiful church buildings. We have seven more wedding celebrations booked so far this year.Looking forwards to catching up with you soon.With love and blessings,Reverend AnthonyComing up this week… Sunday 30th June9:00 Traditional Holy Communion in Lealholm at St James'10:45 Traditional Holy Communion in Egton at St Hilda7:00 pm Esk Valley Concert Band at St Matthew's Grosmont - see poster attached.Tuesday 2nd July6:30 pm Sharing Space - please contact us for further information.Wednesday 3rd July8:30 Contemplative Communion in Goathland - please contact us for further information.3:00 pm Advisory Council Meeting at The Vicarage5:00 pm Deanery Evening Prayer on Zoom and at St Hilda, Egton6:00 pm Worship Planning - Tea with John Day - at the VicarageThursday 4th July10:30 - 2:30 Vi's Community Cafe in Grosmont at St Matthew's1:30 - 2:30 Play Space in Grosmont at St Matthew's GrosmontSunday 7th July9:00 Traditional Holy Communion in Lealholm at St James' Lealholm10:45 Traditional Holy Communion in Goathland at St Mary's GoathlandPlease note there won't be any Fellowship Space sessions in July and August.Save the Date…Our next Community Forum meeting will be taking place alongside a joint meeting of our four parochial church councils (PCCs) on Saturday 20th July, 2:30-5:30 pm at St Hilda’s and Egton Primary School (note new venue)Further details to follow, but all are welcome to attend - you don’t need to be on one of our PCCs.Last Sunday’s SermonIn Eularia Clarke’s painting, the ‘Storm Over the Lake,’ the Lake is the Sea of Galilee, and the scene is the one we’ve just heard in our Gospel reading. See this link for further information.Now, some of you might know that my first time as a student (long before I trained to be a Priest) was spent learning about ecology, physical geography and geology. So, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2019 I was quite interested in the geology around the Sea of Galilee, as well as the historical basis to Christianity, of course. The rift valley that runs down through Africa – a zone where two tectonic plates are gradually separating – that zone extends up through the West Bank and ends in the mountains North of the Sea of Galilee. The River Jordan runs down from Galilee towards the Dead Sea, which is below the level of the Mediterranean Sea. And the Sea of Galilee is below sea level too. The Jordan essentially drains downhill into the Dead Sea and the water evaporates, which is why it’s so salty. This evaporation, the mountains surrounding Galilee, and it’s low level relative to the Mediterranean Sea, creates some strange climatic conditions, which can lead to severe and quite violent storms. Those storms can start and stop quite surprisingly and very quickly, and this makes fishing on the Sea of Galilee quite a perilous occupation. But fishermen would have been used to this rapidly changing weather. And they would have been very burly and tough too; used to working in very harsh conditions.Jesus chose fishermen to be some of his disciples; and those disciples would have experienced some quite severe storms. But the storm in the picture and in our Gospel reading must have been the most severe one; certainly a life threatening one! It’s quite a surprising scene. And surely it isn’t anything like the experienced fishermen could have imagined.Eularia Clarke shows Jesus leaning forwards, calming the storm.The boat is in extreme danger of being swamped, with several people already swept overboard and in severe danger. The crew seem to have had the presence of mind to tie down the sail when the storm arose. The blue, black and white pillow (looking more like a travelling rug) on which Jesus was sleeping, is portrayed in the stern of the boat. In an interview for the Methodist Church’s art collection, the artist Eularia Clarke said, ‘I keep praying, “This is meant to be your Son, don’t let him look like just any ordinary human.” I wouldn’t be dragged all that way to Church by a man who just lived and taught a long time ago.”Eularia Clarke believed her special calling from God was to make the Gospel scenes come to life. And I think she’s certainly done that here. But I wonder what you can see in the picture?I’ll read the passage from Mark again now. While I’m reading it keep looking at the picture. You might want to imagine yourself as being one of the people in the boat. You could try and imagine the feelings that the disciples in the boat might have had.Mark 4.35-end On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’This is a serious, life-threatening storm; there is fear on the faces of all; although for some you can only see their hands; it’s overwhelming; no one other than Jesus appears to have any control; people are trying to hold on to something to give them an anchor point.But Jesus, surprisingly, is lying down and is calmly in control of the situation.The gesture of his hand echoes the image of a dove, the Holy Spirit.I’m sure that we’ve all had many storms that have unexpectedly blown into our lives.And in those storms, I’m sure we’ve had feelings of fear, alongside many questions that we asked to try and make sense of the situation. One of the questions might have been: ‘Don’t you care, God’? It’s easy to judge the disciples with the benefit of over 2 millennia of hindsight but, in the face of a great and sudden storm, they’re understandably frightened. And it appears as if Jesus is doing nothing. He remains calm and has fallen asleep. And don’t forget this was the storm of all storms, one that was defeating the hardiest fishermen. The disciples’ immediate reaction is to assume that Jesus doesn’t care. But when Jesus is woken up, he calls for peace and immediately the storm is stilled.It’s not at all clear in our passage what the disciples expected Jesus to do, but his stilling of the storm certainly appears to have been quite a surprise. Jesus here is reminding us to have faith. Jesus invites us to walk with him through the storms of life.All of our storms.Especially the most severe ones;certainly the life-threatening ones, like the one depicted in this painting.But, for me, what this Gospel story says is that in those storms we should expect God to act in surprising ways. Ways we can’t possibly imagine. Just as this is quite a surprising scene, nothing like the experienced fishermen could have imagined, surprising answers to our prayers will come to intersect and settle our storms. Along our journey of faith, I think Jesus asks us to wait for those surprising and life-giving actions; actions that can only come from God.Amen.---The Reverend Anthony BennettmiddleESKmoor.org Enriching– Sharing - KnowingBible passages are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (2000-2024). material from which is included in this email, are copyright © The Archbishops’ Council. These two books, edited by Jane Williams, are continuing to be very helpful with planning my sermon writing:Williams, J (2009), Ed., ‘Lost for Words, A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three Year Cycle,’ Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, UK.Williams, J (2011), Ed., ‘Lectionary Reflections, Years A, B and C.’ Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK.
Dear friends,Please find below details of what’s coming up tomorrow, and over the next few days across Middle ESK Moor, plus our prayers and readings for tomorrow. We’ll be thinking about Jesus calming the storm in our services. Looking forwards to catching up with you.With love and blessings,Reverend AnthonyComing up this week…Sunday 23rd June9:00 ‘Traditional Communion’ in Lealholm at St James.’10:45 ‘Traditional Communion’ in Grosmont at St Matthew’s.7:00 pm ‘Taizé’ at St Thomas,’ Glaisdale.Join us in the beautiful St Thomas’ Church at 7 pm for a special time of prayer using meditations and chants from the Taizé tradition. This will be a new monthly event on the Fourth Sunday of each month at 7 pm, led by our new worship planning team.No need to be able to sing, and no prior experience needed. All welcome!Tuesday 25th10:00-12:00 Village Community Cafe in Goathland at the Village Hall.Wednesday 26th 8:30 ‘Contemplative Communion’ in Goathland at The Bield.Thursday 27th10:00-2:00 pm Vi’s Community Café in Grosmont at St Matthew’s.1:30-2:30 pm ‘Play Space’ also at St Matthew’s.Save the Date…Our next Community Forum meeting will be taking place alongside a joint meeting of our four parochial church councils (PCCs) on Saturday 20th July, 2:30-5:30 pm at St Hilda’s and The Vicarage in EgtonFurther details to follow, but all are welcome to attend - you don’t need to be on one of our PCCs.Sunday’s Prayers and ReadingsThe CollectGracious Father, by the obedience of Jesus you brought salvation to our wayward world: draw us into harmony with your will, that we may find all things restored in him, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.Job 38.1-11 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. ‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements-surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together, and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors, and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped”? Psalm 107:23-32 Those who go down to the sea in shipsand ply their trade in great waters,These have seen the works of the Lordand his wonders in the deep.For at his word the stormy wind aroseand lifted up the waves of the sea.They were carried up to the heavensand down again to the deep;their soul melted away in their peril.They reeled and staggered like a drunkardand were at their wits’ end.Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,and he brought them out of their distress.He made the storm be stilland the waves of the sea were calmed.Then were they glad because they were at rest,and he brought them to the haven they desired.Let them give thanks to the Lord for his goodnessand the wonders he does for his children.Let them exalt him in the congregation of the peopleand praise him in the council of the elders.2 Corinthians 6.1-13 As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you. ’See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return-I speak as to children-open wide your hearts also.Mark 4.35-end On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ Post Communion PrayerEternal God, comfort of the afflicted and healer of the broken, you have fed us at the table of life and hope: teach us the ways of gentleness and peace, that all the world may acknowledge the kingdom of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK MoorBible passages are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (2000-2024). material from which is included in this email, are copyright © The Archbishops’ Council. Copyright (C) 2024 The Benefice of Middle Esk Moor. All rights reserved.
Dear friends,Where has the last week gone? We’ve been home from our holiday for a week already, and I’m only just about back into the swing of things! We had a lovely time away in the Scottish Highlands - surprisingly warm, certainly a lot warmer than it’s been around here the last week!Please find below details of what’s coming up tomorrow, and over the next week across Middle ESK Moor, plus some thoughts from me that appeared in June’s parish magazines.Looking forwards to catching up with you soon.With love and blessings,Reverend AnthonyComing up in the next few daysTomorrow - Sunday 16th9:00 Traditional Holy Communion in Lealholm at St James'10:45 Traditional Holy Communion in Egton at St Hilda6:00 pm ‘Awakening Service’ at St. Stephen’s, Robin Hood’s BayMonday 17th 7.00 pm Special ‘Churchwardens Admission’ Service in LytheEd Mangles and Nigel Parr are about to take up their exciting new roles as our two new churchwardens. Their Admissions Service is on Monday 17th June at 7pm at St Oswald’s Church, Lythe, Anyone from across Middle ESK Moor is most welcome to come along and support them. Meet at Ed’s House for drinks and snacks first from 5pm: Green Farm, Egton YO21 1UG - this is their What3Words location https://w3w.co/social.listening.twilight. We can then car-share as needed.Lifts can be arranged too, just email welcome@middleESKmoor.org if you would like to come but need help with transport.Tuesday 18th6:30 Sharing Space in Lealholm at St James'Wednesday 19th8:30 Contemplative Communion in Goathland at The Bield.Taizé next Sunday 23rdJoin us in the beautiful St Thomas’ Church for a special time of prayer using meditations and chants from the Taizé tradition. This will be a new monthly event on the Fourth Sunday of each month at 7 pm, led by our new worship planning team. No need to be able to sing, and no prior experience needed. All welcome!For further information email: welcome@middleESKmoor.org.Save the Date!Our next Community Forum meeting will be taking place alongside a joint meeting of our four parochial church councils (PCCs) on Saturday 20 July, 2:30-5:30 at St Hilda’s and The Vicarage in Egton. Further details to follow, but all are welcome to attend - you don’t need to be on one of our PCCs.Some thoughts from Egton VicarageI’m writing this just a few days before 21st May – that was the date I started work here last year. So, It’s virtually my first anniversary, and I’m almost a third of the way through my initial three years with you. I’m not a traditional ‘vicar’ – I’m an ‘interim minister’ – appointed here to see if I can help and nurture a collective positive difference in this place; to help build a sustainable church presence across our beautiful part of the world.Over the last year we’ve been developing various ideas on how to streamline and simplify the work our four parishes do to keep our five church buildings open, and all our events and services running. We’ve had three community forum meetings, and I’m grateful to those of you that have enthusiastically got involved with those. We’re currently working on ways of bringing our four church councils closer together so we don’t repeat things in quadruplicate, but instead concentrate on where we can work together. The goal is to simplify our day-to-day ‘management’ jobs to release time and energy for our core mission: to share God’s love more widely, to serve our communities more deeply and, as a result of that, to grow our church presence across Lealholm, Glaisdale, Egton, Grosmont and Goathland.This time last year I was writing about pilgrimages, and you could say that I’m one year into a three-year pilgrimage. When I’m at St James’ in Lealholm, I often think about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela: the Way of St James, that famous pilgrimage from France through to North Western Spain. A couple of people in our new weekly congregation at St James’ have done the walk, and I’d love to walk it one day.We need to choose to go on a pilgrimage. I made the conscious decision to apply for this role here. Pilgrimages are planned: we need to book train and air tickets and arrange places to stay. Pilgrimages have defined endings in terms of the obvious place you aim for when you stop walking: that beach on the Spanish coast with all the shells, or Robin Hoods Bay if you’ve just done the Coast-to-Coast walk. But we have to travel on from the end of a pilgrimage. Our journey through life continues.Our pilgrimages connect together into a series of longer seasons on life’s journey, and we can’t predict how our individual pilgrimages will define those seasons. It’s even harder to predict how all our individual pilgrimages will connect together and merge into our collective journey together. In many ways, I feel we’re making good progress on that collective journey, but there are still some quite considerable challenges to overcome. The next year will be quite a pivotal one.As my pilgrimage continues into my second year, I would welcome any feedback on the progress you think I might or might not be making. I would very much welcome any comments, positive or negative. Please email any thoughts to me: welcome@middleESKmoor.org.With prayers for you as you continue on your pilgrimage. I pray our paths will cross and we can journey together through the current season, with all the opportunities and challenges that brings.God bless,Anthony---The Reverend Anthony BennettInterim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor
