Sunday Worship podcast: May 14

 

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  11.15 am Annual Parochial Church Meeting 6.30pm Evensong This week:  Mon     2-3.30 Talking Village in Deniz' coffee shop Wed     10 am Zoom Church his week             4.30-5pm Children's Choir              7.15-8.15 Adult choir Fri        No morning prayer in church today.             10.30 - 12.30 Friday Group in the church hall              2.30pm Funeral Easter 6  In today's first reading, from Acts 17, Paul has arrived in Athens, and makes his way to the Areopagus. This hill was the location where the Athenian council had traditionally met, and it became a place where people gathered to debate. On his way through the city, Paul has seen all the shrines erected to the gods and goddesses venerated in Greece and beyond.  Normally you would expect someone brought up as an observant Jew to be horrified by all these pagan shrines, but Paul sees in them signs of a genuine hunger for God, and singles out one shrine, "to an unknown God" for particular mention.  Shrines typically represent something that is of great significance to the person who builds them. In some faiths it is common to have a household "shrine" where family worship is focused, and it can be very helpful to have a place in your home to pray, where you might put a picture or something else that helps you to focus on God. Many homes have other kinds of "shrines" - family photos or memorabilia, especially of people who may have died or gone away.  Do you have any "shrines" at home already, perhaps to someone you love? How might you create a focus for prayer in your home if you don't have one already? What would you put in it? All Age Ideas In today's first reading, St Paul is walking through the city of Athens, in Greece. He sees lots of statues of gods and goddesses, places where people pray to them. He sees one shrine - special place - dedicated to an "unknown God", so he tells them about the God who made everything and loves everything, who sent Jesus to show people his love. Shrines are really just special places to pray. Some people have shrines in their homes, decorated with things that mean a lot to them, to help them pray to God. You could make a special place to pray in your home.  Jesus says that God is always loving and that when we love others, people can see God at work. What have you done this week that is loving? What have other people done for you that shows God's love? CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS Our Annual Parochial Church Meeting will take place next Sunday at 11.15 am in church. We will be electing churchwardens and PCC, as well as members of the Deanery Synod. Everyone is welcome to come, but only those on the church Electoral Roll can vote. The reports for the meeting are here, and we hope to have some financial statements available on the day.  HEARING GOD'S WORD - A 6 session course on Zoom from Monday June 12 at 8pm If you would like to dig deeper into the Bible and the way we read it, especially if you are involved, or would like to be involved, in some sort of ministry, like leading a Home Group, or Messy Church, or leading prayers or other worship in church, this Diocesan approved course might be for you. I will be leading it on Zoom, and there will be a strict limit of 12 places on it. I have also offered it to other churches in the Deanery, and have had some interest, so please contact me as soon as possible if you'd like to join the course. I don't want to find I am doing it just for those from elsewhere, when there might be people at Seal Church who would benefit!  Those who complete Hearing God's Word can then progress on to a second course called "Speaking God's Word", which focuses on communicating our faith. If you complete all sessions of both courses, I can, if appropriate, apply to the Bishop for permission for you to lead worship and speak in church on an occasional basis under my supervision - it would be good to equip people to help not only in church, but also to communicate their faith in other settings. Contact me for more details! WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN OUR PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL? The PCC meets six times a year to discuss a wide range of matters to do with church activities, services, fabric and finance. Members must be prepared to have a DBS check, and do safeguarding training. They must not have been disqualified from being charity trustees. They need to be confirmed, and have been on the church electoral roll for at least six months. Elections will take place at our APCM on May 21, but if you would like to find out more in advance, please let me know. There is a copy of the Role Description on the noticeboard. We are also looking for people (on the PCC or not) to join our Fabric and Maintenance team, to help organise repairs and routine maintenance etc. If you could help, let me know! DAVID WILLIAMS' TALK ON SEAL VILLAGE DURING THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH 2ND David delivered a very interesting talk at Seal Library's Tea Set following the Platinum Jubilee last year. There was also, a fantastic display of photographs, depicting Seal village betweeen 1953 and 2022.  For those who didn't make it, you have a second bite at the cherry, as David is repeating this event on  FRIDAY MAY 26TH AT 7.30PM AT ST EDITH'S SMALL HALL FOR THE KEMSING HERITAGE CENTRE. Do go along and enjoy -  Just turn up - it'll be well worth a visit! CALLING ALL KNITTERS AND CROCHETERS AGAIN! So, now we have seen what some of the village talent can achieve, by way of our magnificent pillar box topper, Chris Rampton is making a request - well in advance - for anybody to come forward to make as many poppies as they possibly can please. She says the more the merrier, as we will be needing an awful lot of this this November, so if you get started now, we will be in with a chance of receiving sufficient. I believe these will be used on the pillar box, and to decorate our church for Remembrance Sunday too. Chris says, you can use any pattern you can find - always good to have some diversity - but abundance is the keyword. Sounds like this will be another terrific show.