Sunday Worship podcast and other news: Feb 13

 

Dear friends Join us for worship online, on the phone or in the building today.  with best wishes Anne Le Bas Online Worship podcast     Order of service You can also access this podcast by phoning 01732 928061 In the church building today - Feb 13 10 am   All Age Worship 6.30pm Breathing Space Holy Communion During the week Monday              2-3.30pm Talking Village Wednesday       10.30 am Lavender Fields Holy Communion                              2.30pm Funeral: Liz Sindall                          Friday                 10.30-12.30 Friday Group in the church hall Sunday Feb 20 10 am   Holy Communion 6.30pm  Evensong The third Sunday before Lent Jeremiah 17.5-10, Luke 6.17-26 Today's Old Testament Reading, appropriately for the day before St Valentine's Day, focusses on the human heart, but is very definitely not about romantic love. Instead, Jeremiah talks about the heart as the seat of the human will. What makes us tick? What gives us life? What is at the "heart" of us? The answer is vital, he says. In the Gospel reading, Jesus reminds us that the blessings of God can be found just as much when things are going wrong as when they are going right, asking us where our hearts are.   ALL AGE IDEA In our Age Worship this morning, we will be thinking about what we love about our faith, what we love about our church, and how we might share that love with others.  Draw a heart shape and draw or write your answers to those questions.  Make a paper prayer heart. Cut a strip of paper about 2 cm wide and 21 cm long (the width of a piece of A4 paper.) Write on the strip of paper the names of some people you love. Fold the strip in half across the width. Curl the ends around and stick them to each other, so they make a heart shape, sticking a length of string between them as you do. I used a glue stick, but you could use sellotape, or staple the hearts together. Hang the heart somewhere where it will remind you to pray for the people you've named on it, or give it to them to tell them you are praying for them.  I made my hearts out of some rainbow coloured paper I had, because love comes in many shapes and forms!       STORY OF THE WEEK     1 Samuel 18, 19 and 20   The next episode in the story of David, the shepherd boy who became a king. After David killed Goliath, he went to live with King Saul, but Saul soon became jealous of him, because he was so popular. Jonathan, Saul's son, ought also to have been jealous, since David was rapidly taking what he might have expected to be his place in people's hearts as Saul's successor. But Jonathan, far from being jealous, loved David, and did everything in his power to promote him and keep him safe. These chapters show us a beautiful picture of unexpected friendship and love.  CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS We urgently need a new church Treasurer. Can you help? We are planning to buy in some bookkeeping services, but will still need someone to do some of the day to day financial tasks.  More details from the vicar. REFRESHMENTS - We have decided not to reinstate serving tea and coffee after services for the time being, as the Covid case rates are still so high locally.   MESSY CHURCH I had also hoped to restart Messy Church this month , but it seems wise to leave it until March 20 to do so, as Covid is rife in our local schools.  MASKS Although it is no longer compulsory to wear face coverings in church, we continue to encourage people to do so, in order to protect themselves and others.  LENT AT SEAL This Lent at Seal, I will be leading the Pastoral Principles Course, produced by the Church of England, as part of the Living in Love and Faith initiative, is designed to help people live and learn together in the face of difference and diversity.  Over five sessions, we will look at six “pervading evils” which can get in the way as we try to listen to one another and learn from each other.  prejudice, silence, ignorance, fear, hypocrisy, power   Each session will include Bible Study and prayer, and other activities which help us to listen to others, to ourselves and to God.     ONLINE by Zoom  on Monday evenings from 7.30-9.00 March 7,14,21,28, Apr 4  IN THE CHURCH HALL on Thursday mornings from 10 -12  (starting with coffee & chat) Feb 24, March 10,17,24,31  email sealpandp@gmail to reserve a place, or sign the list at the back of church.  THERE WILL BE AN AGM FOR SEAL VILLAGE FUND  This meeting will take place via Zoom on Thursday 18th March at 8pm (please note - this has been put back a little, to give everybody the opportunity to make arrangements to join in). This meeting will include a report of Know Your Neighbours funding throughout the past year. Those who 'Live, Work or Play in Seal', are encouraged to join the meeting to hear how monies raised by our village are being utilised in our community. To register your interest in receiving a Zoom meeting invitation, for March 18th, please send your email address to Becky Watson (Seal Village Fund Secretary) beckywatsonuk@byinternet.com TALKING VILLAGE Monday afternoons between 2pm and 3.30 in Deniz's on the High Street. Buy a cup of tea or coffee and join us on the Talking Village table, for a chat and to make new friends, or catch up with old ones! Saturdays - First Saturday of each month in Seal Library from 10am-11am. Join us for a coffee whilst out browsing for your library books. At both these venues, there will always be two hosts to welcome you, and we look forward to meeting with you and getting to know each other better. SEAL TIDDLERS   In Seal Church Hall £2 per session pre schoolers and parents/Carers Monday mornings 9.30-11.30 tea drinks snacks for children art activities singing. CHECK OUT THE KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS WEBSITE for details of what is planned for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend in June (among other things), and how to get involved. https://knowyourneighbours.blogspot.com/2022/02/kyn-update-feb-6.html Plans so far include an event on the allotments, history walks, Garden Safari and Big Lunch on the Rec. as well as an invitation to decorate your homes and gardens with "Royal" window scenes, "Royal" scarecrows. red, white and blue planting etc.  SEAL LIBRARY NEWS In February, the library will be highlighting matters relating to the 'Heart'. Please pop in to see the many poems and quotes, some well-known, some not so familiar, which will be the focus of the displays. If anyone would like to contribute a favourite they would like included, please let me know.   Clare will start the month off with a Valentine's theme free children's craft session on Saturday the 5th, from 11:00 am-12:30pm. All are welcome with an accompanying adult.   On Saturday 12th from 11-11:30 am Tim from ‘Sevenoakscpr’ charity will be providing a demonstration and answering questions on CPR and the use of a defibrillator (there is one located in the old red telephone box outside the village hall in the High Street). There is a signing up sheet in the library to help gauge the number of attendees. Please contact the library if you have any queries or wish to sign up.   The Reading Group meet on Tuesday 1st,2:00 - 4pm will be discussing January's book choices: The Heights by Louise Candlish - a psychological thriller about revenge and Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan – a eulogy on teenage friendship. They will also be collecting the February books.: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - a best-selling novel about a missionary family, who in 1959 move from the U.S. state of Georgia, USA to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo, close to the Kwilu River. A Woman made of Snow by Elisabeth Gifford – a recently published mystery set in Scotland in 1949.   Clare will be in the library on Friday the 25th (no sessions on 11th and 18th) for Baby Rhyme time at 10:15am -10:45am followed each week by Storytime at 10:45-11:15 am.  All pre-school children are welcome with an accompanying adult/s.  OTHER COMMUNITY NEWS - For more community news from Marion Gilchrist, check out the Know Your Neighbours blog. https://knowyourneighbours.blogspot.com/ or email marionjgilchrist@gmail.com to ask to be put on her mailing list.