Worship podcast and other news from Seal Church: April 24

 

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 - April 24 Easter 2 10 am  Holy Communion  6.30pm Evensong (said) During the week Monday             9.30 -11.30 pm Seal Tiddlers in the church hall - parent and toddler group                            2-3.30pm Talking Village in Deniz Cafe in the High Street Wednesday      10.00 Zoom Church                            5 - 5.30 on Children's Choir                            7.15 - 8.15 pm Choir Friday                10.30-12.30 Friday Group in the church hall                             7.30pm Queen of Puddings Quiz in the church hall Sunday May 1: Easter 3 10 am   Holy Communion  6.30pm Evensong Easter 2 Acts 5.27-32, John 20.19-end Kevin Bright is our preacher today, and will be exploring the Bible readings as we continue to celebrate the good news of Easter. Easter is a season rather than just a day or a week in the Christian calendar, lasting right up until Pentecost. During this time the set passages from the the Bible which we read in our services explore something of what it meant for people to encounter the risen Christ. Today we meet Thomas, who somehow missed out on seeing Jesus when he first appeared. Unsurprisingly, he wants proof, but as soon as Jesus invites him to touch his wounds, Thomas is convinced, and gives his allegiance to Christ. Legends say that he then travelled eastwards, taking the Gospel to India, which is not an unlikely possibility, since there were well established trade routes by sea to India at the time. If he had for a short time doubted, he then went on to be filled with faith. Thomas needed to see in order to believe, but his story ends with Jesus blessing those - us -  who do not see, and yet believe.  It was important to the early disciples that Jesus' resurrection body still had the wounds of his crucifixion. As well as proving to them that it was him, it showed them that the resurrection didn't cancel out the pain of the crucifixion. Traumatic experiences leave lasting scars in our lives, but we can go on to find new joy and peace, not forgetting or denying the scars, but learning from them, letting them enrich our lives and give us new empathy for others who are suffering.  ALL AGE IDEAS Today's Gospel story is about Thomas, sometimes called "Doubting Thomas", who wasn't with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared to them after he rose from the dead. Jesus came back especially so that Thomas could see him. Have you ever missed out on a special occasion? What did it feel like?  Have you ever had something important to say which others haven't believed, or maybe you haven't believed others when they had something good to tell you?

Here is the story of Thomas meeting Jesus.

CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS Many thanks to all who have helped decorate the church for Easter, and to the organists and singers who have provided music this week.   ELECTORAL ROLL Are you on our church electoral roll? Joining this gives you a vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (on May 22nd), as well as entitling you to burial in Seal churchyard if you don’t live in the parish, should that sad need arise! It also signals your involvement with and commitment to this church community.  If you aren’t on the roll and would like to be, please pick up a form from the back of church or download it here and return it to me, or to Wivine Turner, when you have filled it in. The last day to add your name to the roll will be May 1, so the sooner you can fill in a form the better.   QUEEN OF PUDDINGS QUIZ Friday April 29th from 7.30pm in the Church Hall. £5 per head. Quiz with a 'loose' royal theme, and tasters of puddings between each round, In all, we hope to have around 20 different desserts for you to try, so eat before you come by all means, but do leave room for some sweet treats during the evening. TICKETS NOW FOR SALE FROM FRANCES 07749 240456  or MARION 07909905975. FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION.  If you are interested in your child preparing to receive Holy Communion, there will be a chance to gather after the 10 am service either on May 1 or May 8 to discuss this with me. I will then try to find convenient dates for 3 or 4 preparation sessions. If your child is older, (at least secondary school age) and would prefer to prepare for confirmation, please contact me so that I can discuss this with you and with them . If there are any adults who would like to be confirmed (and baptised if they haven't been already) please let me know also, so that we can arrange appropriate preparation.  JUBILEE LUNCH AND PARTY ON THE REC – SUNDAY JUNE 5. We need more people to help set this up, run games etc. Can you help? Now is the moment to volunteer! YOUR HELP AND CONTRIBUTIONS NEEDED PLEASE!  As part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations local historian David Williams is arranging for an exhibition of ‘Seal during the reign of Elizabeth II’. He is collecting memories and objects from people to show what life was like in Seal in the early 1950s. If you have any memories of the early 1950s or any objects (ration books, bus or train tickets, school reports, orders of service from baptisms, marriages or burials, photographs of outings, celebrations…) he would be grateful to receive them. He can be contacted on williamsredcourt@gmail.com , 01732 764068 or 07427 844552. 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 - On the 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 HISTORY GUIDE BOOKS Deniz's coffee shop still has some copies of our Seal Historical Guided Walk books for just £5 a copy. All proceeds go to the Seal Village Fund. A perfect time to walk around our beautiful village and see it through new eyes!   SEAL LIBRARY NEWS   A reminder the Teaset Talk time returns on Tuesday 26 th April –a reminder the time is 2:30-3:45pm. The talk this month is Scrapbooking with Jenny Fairman. We were so pleased to see everyone last month and hope everyone will be returning- all welcome. There is a £2 donation requested. SEAL VILLAGE ALLOTMENTS PLANT SALE AND OPEN DAY Sunday May 15th from Midday to 3pm. All welcome - please come along and get your bargain plants and see the best allotments around!! 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.