St Margaret's Church, Topsham

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

What a joy to welcome so many people to St Margaret’s this last week for the Patronal Flower Festival! Many thanks to everyone who has stewarded and provided refreshments. It’s been wonderful to see the beauty and creativity of the displays, each with their unique interpretation of the Olympic theme, many using the same flowers but in ingeniously different ways. Using the resources at our disposal to achieve more than we ever thought possible is also the theme of this Sunday’s readings. The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle, apart from the resurrection, to be recorded in all four gospels. We may feel that our resources as a Mission Community in terms of people and finances are limited, but we can be encouraged that if we faithfully offer what we have, God is able “to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3.20).

Every blessing

Maggie

(Please note Maggie will be on leave from 27th July to 5th August)

Please send all contributions for the newsletter to Gill by the end of Thursday and material for A Church Near You to Tony Raven: tony@theravens.org

Services and calendar for the week

Saturday 27 July

10am-5pm…Flower Festival…St Margaret’s

Sunday 28 July

10am…Family Friendly Holy Communion…St Margaret’s

10am…Morning Worship…St Luke’s

12noon…Baptism…St Luke’s

6.30pm…Evensong…St Margaret’s

Monday 29 July

10am…Take 5…St Margaret’s

7pm…Compline… Zoom

Tuesday 30 Jul y

9am…Morning Prayer…St Margaret’s

10.30am…Coffee and Chat…St Luke’s church rooms

Wednesday 31 July

10am…Morning Worship…Zoom

11am…Summer Study Group…St Margaret’s

2-4pm…Open Church…St Luke’s

6.30pm…PCC…St Margaret’s

Thursday 1 August

10am…Mini Messy Church…St Margaret’s

3.15-4.15…Summer Study Group…St Luke’s

Friday 2 August

9am…Morning Prayer…St Margaret’s

12.30pm…Funeral…St Margaret’s

Saturday 3 August

8am…Prayer breakfast…St Margaret’s

Sunday 4 August

10am…Eucharist…St Margaret’s

10am…Eucharist…St Luke’s

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.

Bookings - St. Margaret’s bookings has been taken over by Caryll Ingerslev. Contact: C.I.churchbookings@outlook.com

News and Notices

Summer Study and Fellowship groups

We meet on Wednesday 31st July for our final “Holy Habits” session in the social area of St Margaret's Church at 11am (tea/coffee from 10.40). All are welcome (even if you haven’t been before-each session stands alone). We plan to run a new course in the autumn.

St Luke's are reading the same book, starting on Thursdays 3-15 pm - 4-15 pm, meeting in their Church rooms and also serving tea/coffee. All are welcome.

Flower Festival at St. Margaret’s – Thursday 25th - 27th July

If you haven’t already, do come down to St. Margaret’s and enjoy the amazing displays. Refreshments available and proceeds to be split between Bread of Life and St. Margaret’s church funds.

Wednesday 7th August, 3 – 5pm – There will be Cream teas in the garden of Ken and Sandra Greedy at 29 Southbrook Road, Countess Wear. Tickets are £5 and can be obtained from Ken, Sandra or Brian Bolt, or phone Ken and Sandra at 01392 271458 or e mail – Kenneth.greedy@sky.com . All proceeds will go to St. Luke’s Church Funds. We are hoping that the weather will be suitable to sit in the garden, not pouring with rain, as happened for the Desserts Alfresco evening.

Please find the August newsletters for St. Margaret’s and St. Luke’s attached.

Exmouth Food Bank

Supplies We Are Short Of This Month – July 2024

T ins 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: info@exmouthfoodbank.org 07787758511

Prayers

For those who are ill or in need of our prayers:

Roger Fogwill, Lucy, Pauline, Jill and Adrian, Michael, Kirsten, Chris Whitehead, Fay, Anne, Tony Bradford, Marlene Gardner, Pam Wormald, Mary, Peter, John Heal, Rosemary Henry, Gail Miller, Carol Walker

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

Mollie Cann, Elsie Williams, Timothy Orpen, Sven Herzog

Recently departed

Peter Gould

Gospel Readings for the coming week

Sunday 28th July John 6: 1-21

Monday 29th July Matthew 13: 31-35

Tuesday 30th July Matthew 13: 36-43

Wednesday 31st July Matthew 13: 44-46

Thursday 1st August Matthew 13: 47-53

Friday 2nd August Matthew 13: 54-end

Saturday 3rd August Matthew 14: 1-12

Sunday 4th August John 6: 24-35

Collect and reading for Sunday 28th July

Almighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be the light and life of your church: open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and peace; 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 6..1-21Feeding the Five Thousand After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’

When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Jesus Walks on the Water When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.

St Margaret's Church, Topsham

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