Sunday Worship podcast links and other news: Feb 12

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 10 am   All Age Worship 6.30pm Breathing Space Holy Communion Next Sunday   10 am  Holy Communion 3-4.30pm Messy Church 6.30pm Evensong This week: Mon      2-3.30 Talking Village at Deniz Cafe in the High Street Wed     10.30am Holy Communion in Lavender Fields, visitors welcome.              No Children's or Adult choir today Fri         No Morning Prayer in church              10.30-12.30 Friday Group in church hall Second Sunday before Lent Today's Old Testament readings is one of the most familiar in the Bible, the story of the Creation of the world, from the book of Genesis. But we often don't listen to this story in the light of the context in which it was first written. Like much of the Hebrew scriptures, it seems to have been put into written form when the Jewish people were in exile in Babylon, following the conquest of Jerusalem in 587 AD. Like all people exiled from their home, there was a real anxiety that the stories and customs of "home" might be lost, the distinctive features which were so vital to Jewish life. The picture which accompanies today's podcast captures the sense of melancholy expressed in Psalm 137, written during the exile, "By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept/ when we remembered Zion... How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" I response to this threat, scribes shaped what had been oral stories and fragmentary records into the narratives we now have. Inevitably, those stories were influenced by the stories of the cultures around Israel, including that of Babylon itself - they have common, ancient roots. The most commonly told and known creation story in the Ancient Near East was called the Enuma Elish, from its opening words - "when on high". It involved primordial chaotic waters, and, eventually the creation of humanity. The similarities to the story in Genesis are obvious, but the differences are striking too. Today's sermon thinks about what those differences highlight about the God of the Jews and Christians, and about what we think of God's creation, including ourselves.  What do you believe about God and what has shaped that belief? All Age Ideas Today's story of the creation of the world talks about God who looked at all of it and said "it is good".  Muddy Church have some lovely activities to explore the Creation Stories. You can find them here. https://www.muddychurch.co.uk/items-4 (They have also got some great downloads for Lent activities with children here https://www.muddychurch.co.uk/lent-40-moments-and-40-bags and here https://www.muddychurch.co.uk/lent-challenge-sheets   CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS  SAME SEX BLESSINGS You may have seen reports this week of the debates in the General Synod around the possible authorisation of services of blessing for same-sex couples following a civil marriage or partnership. General Synod voted to approve this, and, once the suggested services have been finalised and commended by General Synod at their next session in July, it is anticipated that blessing services for gay couples will be possible in churches where the PCC and clergy are happy to do them. Seal has been affiliated to Inclusive Church, which has been working towards this, for some time, and I am personally  delighted that this will soon be possible, and look forward to being able to celebrate the relationships of those who would like to seek this, whether they are gay or straight. You can read more about this on the Church of England website here.  LENT GROUPS This year’s Lent Course, “Do this in remembrance of me” will be exploring Holy Communion and what it means to us. There will be four online Zoom sessions on Monday evenings, and four sessions in the vicarage (or possibly the church hall ) on Thursday mornings. Ash Wednesday is on Feb 22, so they will start after this. There is a sign up sheet at the back of church, or you can email to book a place - sealpandp@gmail.com.  if you would like to come. Places will be limited, so please sign up as soon as possible. SEAL CHURCH CLOCK Are you missing the chiming of Seal Church clock? So are we! The mechanism, which is over 150 years old, is badly in need of repair. It will cost around £6000 to do the job, which will involve dismantling the clock, getting it down the tower stairs and taking it to the clock repairers workshop, then doing the whole operation in reverse when it is complete. If you can help with raising the money for this you can donate here https://givealittle.co/campaigns/08d6ce0f-43b4-4d7a-aee7-b94c269b0555, or by cheque payable to Friends of St Peter and St Paul Church" or in cash delivered to The Vicarage, Church Street, Seal, TN15 0AR We're hoping the repairs can be started as soon as possible! SEAL VILLAGE FUND: CALLING ALL ORGANISATIONS/CLUBS AND SOCIETIES THAT OPERATE IN SEAL VILLAGE Do you need some extra funding for a specific project or need? Then the Seal Village Fund may be able to help you! Successful fund raising events have resulted in excess funds being available to distribute to the groups that provide such wonderful opportunities and support in our friendly village. The Seal Village Fund will consider bids from any village organisation/club/society that benefits those that live, work or play in the village. The Rules of Engagement:- 1 - Only bids up to £250 please 2 - Submit a written proposal providing details of the project/initiative, how it will benefit the village, and the amount of funding being requested. Proposals need to be received by Friday February 24th 2023. 3 - You must be prepared to come and present your case at the Seal Village Fund AGM which will take place at the Know Your Neighbours Meet and Greet session on Saturday March 11th 2023 in Seal Village Hall at 11,30. 4 - All successful bids will be notified shortly after the AGM. Any questions and written proposals to be sent to Becky Watson (Seal Village Fund Secretary) at beckywatsonuk@btinternet.com  (please note the corrected email address) SAVE THE DATE - SAT MARCH 11TH 11.30-1.00 SEAL VILLAGE HALL  KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS MEET AND GREET PLUS SEAL VILLAGE FUND AGM. Come along, have a coffee, cake and a chat with members of local village organisations and find out what happens in our village. Also, let's have your ideas for what you would like to see in the future. NEWS FROM SEAL LIBRARY FROM JILLIAN Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Seal Library on Friday February 17th from 10am – 3pm with cake and drinks from 10:30am.   There will also be a 70’S Quiz and  some volunteers in period clothes! Jillian has put together a small exhibition on the library opening, books which came out then and a section on life in the 1970’s including crafts from the period. In the afternoon we have 2 sessions from the Kent Wildlife lady for children over 5 on British Birds and for the younger children Jillian has some activities based on characters from the time (Wombles and Clangers!!) - booking needed for these. CORONATION CELEBRATIONS We have been discussing the logistics of having one large village celebration, and in light of the lack of people keen to organise such an event, we were thinking, maybe some of you might prefer to organise a more localised celebration just for your immediate neighbours - a proper old fashioned street party - just for your street or direct neighbourhood. Of course, this will be more difficult for some roads than others, but there is always a solution to be found when getting together with others ! We will all have memories, however young or old, of royal celebrations, and it would be great to pass this legacy on to the very youngest of us. If you feel you want to do this, and may need some support, please let us know and we will help you to facilitate this in any way we can. For instance, if you would like to get together with others who are also planning something similar, we could have a get together to discuss how we can all move the plans forward and support each other. Again, we will have some funds to share, thanks to our 100 Club revenue, but, undoubtedly, more will be needed. If you are planning, or already running some activity in Seal you would like to share with us, please contact marionjgilchrist@gmail.com, and we will do our best to spread the word. Also, please remember to tell any new neighbours about Know Your Neighbours, so that we can add them to our circulation list, or they can use the FaceBook page - search for Know Your Neighbours in Seal.