 | Dear Friends
Listen to today's worship podcast by clicking on the picture above.
Anne Le Bas
Worship Online
Worship podcast - Click on picture above
Order of service
(I am having problems with the phone-in version of this podcast, so have had to suspend it. Spotify is also playing up, so if you subscribe on Spotify, this week's and future podcasts can be found here. Access to past podcasts here. It is simpler to use the Youtube link in the picture above, however!)
DONATE TO SEAL CHURCH HERE - all contributions gratefully received to keep the church thriving! |
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In the church building today
10 am PENTECOST: Holy Communion
3 - 4.30pm Messy Church in the church hall
6.30pm Evensong (said, with hymns)
This week:
Wed 4.30pm Children's Choir in the hall (this will be our last session)
7.15pm Choir
Friday 9am Morning prayer in church
10.30am Friday Group in the Church Hall
Saturday 2pm Wedding: Maria Miles and Christopher Carcary
Next Sunday
10 am Holy Communion
6.30pm Evensong (said, with hymns) |
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PENTECOST
The story of the Holy Spirit coming on Jesus' disciples in Jerusalem is a puzzling and mysterious one. It was plainly hard to describe; the sound of a rushing wind, but no wind, flames of fire, but no one getting burnt. But perhaps we can all recognise moments when we have felt inspired, excited, or moved in ways we didn't expect, so we have some way of identifying with this experience of the Spirit. All this is simply the beginning of the story, though. The disciples feel the presence of God with them, and it is this which propels them out onto the streets of Jerusalem where they begin telling people about Jesus, and find, to everyone's astonishment that visitors from all corners of the world can understand them, hearing their words in their own native language.
I explore this strange phenomenon in today's sermon. I can't explain it, of course, but explaining it isn't the point. It is the symbolism which matters, the sense that everyone discovers that God is at home in their language and culture.- Have you ever heard your own native language when you are abroad and not expecting to hear it? What did that feel like?
- Have you ever felt that you were "far from home", either geographically, socially or emotionally? What helped you, or might have done, to feel "at home"? What might we be able to do to help others who are far from home?
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All Age Ideas
DON'T FORGET - MESSY CHURCH THIS AFTERNOON AT 3PM IN THE CHURCH HALL. THIS WILL BE THE LAST MESSY CHURCH BEFORE THE SUMMER BREAK. Messy Church will be back in September, led by Helen Davies and the rest of the Messy Church team!
Today is the feast of Pentecost. This was originally a feast that celebrated the crops that were starting to ripen in Israel, and was marked by people bringing a basket of those crops to the Temple in Jerusalem. The story in the Acts of the Apostles we hear today tells of Jesus' disciples waiting on the Day of Pentecost as they try to work out how they will do what Jesus has told them to do; to take his message of God's love out into all the world. Suddenly they feel a sense of excitement and confidence, which feels like a rushing wind or flames of fire and realise that God is with them through his Holy Spirit. They rush out into the streets and start telling people about Jesus. Many people in Jerusalem came from other countries and spoke different languages, but everyone understood what they were saying, just as if they spoke their own language.
It was a reminder that God is at home everywhere in the world and loves everyone.
Later on, people thought about those baskets of fruit that were presented at Pentecost. St Paul wrote that being filled with God's Spirit had helped them to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, which helped others to know about God's love.
There is a song about those "fruits of the Spirit" to sing along with below. |
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 | | Watch Aline's story here. It is also embedded in today's podcast. |
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CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS
THANK YOU to all those who stood for election to the PCC last week at our APCM. We welcome Simon Bull, Marion Gilchrist, newly elected, and welcome back Mark Turner for a further three year term. We also thank Rosemary Pattullo and Georgina Taylor who stepped down from the PCC at this meeting.
MESSY CHURCH - TODAY, May 19 3-4.30pm Craft, fun and food with a Pentecost theme.
This will be the last Messy Church I will lead (There will be no Messy Church in June or July) Helen Davies has said she will run Messy Church from the autumn, along with the rest of the Messy Church team, so put September 15th in your diaries!
SOW SEEDS TO TAKE AWAY, ECO CHURCH ACTIVITY
Wednesday 29th May 2-4pm (School May holiday), to celebrate World Bee Day & No Mow May?
We shall focus on bees and butterflies (art & craft activities) and bless seeds (mostly pollinating flower seeds), make biodegradable pots & sow into these to take home to family's own green spaces/window sills. We'll have some herb activities /tasting/salad to top, too, ahead of starting with herbs in the new planter for a multisensory experience for passers-by. Also amphibian & reptile themed activities in celebration of Stone Street's Toad Patrol & our wildlife area slowworms. We'll have litter pickers available & depending on who comes along, hope to do some churchyard tidying & logpile construction.
An appeal: we are looking for bee & butterfly-friendly plant seeds to be donated for our seeds sowing, and some old small pots or seed trays for reuse & rehoming, ahead of 29th May.
These can be handed to Lise or Babs or put under the Eco Church display table for our collection, thank you.Any donations of biscuits or cake would also be much appreciated!
HAVE YOU SIGNED UP FOR THE PARISH GIVING SCHEME?
Back in the Autumn we signed up for the Parish Giving Scheme which is a simple system to replace Standing Orders as a way of giving to the church, and automates the collection of Gift Aid for those who are tax payers, which saves a great deal of time and effort on the part of the volunteers who help to look after the churches finances and means we get the Gift Aid very quickly.
So far, though, only 13 people have transferred from giving by Standing Order to giving through this Scheme. It would be great if more people could give through this scheme, as it simplifies the administrative burden so much! If you are a regular giver to Seal (or would like to become one!) please would you consider using this route for your donations.
You can find out more here, or contact us if you would like to know more, by emailing financesealpandp@gmail.com
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