May 2016 Magazine
Transcription
May 2016 Magazine
ST TERNAN’S SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH MUCHALLS May 2016 Sunday Service 10.30a.m. Scottish Charity No. 023264 Peter Smart writes … The Joy of Team Ministry One of the many joys of being your Interim Ministry Co-ordinator is the team ministry that operates at St Ternan’s (and at St James’ and at my ‘home church’ in Montrose). I know that there will always be someone deputed in the roster as deacon, and to read the scriptures, to lead the intercessions, to administer the chalice, and so on – as well as to undertake all those unseen tasks, like making the coffee and cleaning the church. I know you have a long history of LCM and the involvement of so many members of the congregation in one way or another makes for a very collegiate church. All this takes a heavy burden off my shoulders, and the shoulders of visiting clergy who conduct our services on an occasional basis. It means, amongst other things, that I have more time during the week to concentrate my thoughts on the preparation of my sermon. And thinking of sermons, please read on! The Preacher’s dilemma Those of you who were in church on 10 April may recall my ‘going off script’ for a few minutes during my sermon – and telling you that I was doing so. Why? Because, in preparing for the sermon, I had come across a number of ambiguities between the commentaries to which I had been referring. I guess, in fact, that I come across such ambiguities most weeks as I prepare for preaching. This is what I call ‘the preacher’s dilemma’. Let me give just a couple of examples from the sermon for 10 April. The Gospel reading was John 21:1 – 19: the tail end of John’s Gospel, his account of Jesus appearing to seven disciples on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius. But was this account actually written by John? Or was it written by one of his followers as a post-script or coda to what John had written up to the end of John 20? Some scholars have suggested that the latter is the case, because John 20:30 – 31 may be taken as a natural ending to the Gospel. And some scholars claim there is a change of writing style in John 2 Then there was the reference to the 153 large fish that the disciples had caught in their net, after Jesus had told them from the shore to cast their net on the starboard side. Why was the number of fish so specifically recorded? Was it a metaphor for Jesus’ abundant love for his followers? Could the large number of fish, caught after the disciples had not landed even a minnow all night, fed up, despondent, be a message for us today, who worry ourselves about the decline in numbers in the pews? In God’s good time, shall we have a resurgence of membership, an abundance of fish? Or was it simply John, one of those in the boat, being pedantic and factual in his reporting? How should the preacher deal with such ambiguities? How do I know which of the commentators is likely to be more accurate in their interpretation? Should I shrug my shoulders and say, ‘does it really matter who wrote that part of the Gospel?’ Do I need even to suggest that there is possibly a sub-text to those 153 fish? Am I being too clever for my own good, if I become too forensic in my sermon preparation? What, dear reader/listener, do you think? Please feel free to give me some feedback – on this, or on any other aspect of my preaching. May the peace of Christ be always with you. Peter Great faith is not the faith that walks always in the light and knows no darkness, but the faith that perseveres in spite of God’s seeming silence, and that faith will most certainly and surely get its rewards Fr Andrew SDC Making sense of the Ascension Paul Hardingham This month we celebrate Ascension Day. Although somewhat neglected, as it takes place on a Thursday, it is still an important Christian festival. The New Testament tells us that Jesus ascended to ‘God’s right hand’ (1 Peter 3:22). But how should we understand this? Sitting at God’s right hand Jesus occupies a position of power and authority at the 'oval office' of the universe, ‘exalted to the right hand of God’ (Acts 2:33). This position was secured by his death and resurrection and enables us to experience the life of heaven ie eternal life, forgiveness, healing and the power to transform lives and communities. Is this our expectation and experience? Standing at God’s right hand Our experience of heaven is only partial, as we also know the reality of suffering and disappointment in our lives. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, saw Jesus ‘standing at the right hand of God’ (Acts 7:56) as he was being stoned to death. Do we recognise that Jesus is on the throne and has a purpose for our lives, when we are in the middle of setbacks and difficulties? As a result of Stephen's death, the Church grew and the apostle Paul was transformed. Where is the fruit of the suffering in our lives? Praying at God’s right hand Finally, we are told that Jesus is ‘interceding for us’ at God’s right hand (Romans 8:34 & Hebrews 7:25). Jesus is on our side at the heart of the universe and fully knows our needs when praying for us. He is on our side, even when we feel defeated by the wrong things in our lives. So where has Jesus gone? Because He is in heaven, the Ascension opens up the possibility that we can experience the life of heaven, both now and in eternity. The top 10 Bible stories: Daniel in the Lions’ Den Paul Hardingham This month’s Must Know Story is Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6). The leaders in Babylon, under King Darius, wanted to get rid of him. However, Daniel was a powerful person in the kingdom, because he was committed to God. How did Daniel respond to the opposition? He chose Character over Comfort Although his opponents tried to find fault with Daniel (4), they were unable to do so, because he was ‘trustworthy, neither corrupt nor negligent’. Are there things in our own lives that fail to please God and spoil our witness? Let’s bring them to God and ask him to help us overcome them. He chose Discipline over Distraction A law was passed that declared anyone praying to a god, apart from King Darius, would be thrown in the lion’s den. As soon as Daniel heard this, he went to his room to pray (10). He consistently maintained a discipline of prayer three times a day. Like Daniel, do we maintain such a daily discipline of prayer and reading the Bible, especially in the difficult times? He chose Love over Life When Daniel was found praying to God by his opponents (11), he was reported to the king, who threw him into the lion’s den. However, Daniel chose love for God over seeking his own comfort and security. He trusted God, who shut the mouths of the lions! As a result, King Darius issued a proclamation that everyone in the whole kingdom should worship the God of Daniel. Because of the choices he made, Daniel prospered (28). In what ways do we see our choices for God resulting in blessing? As the song challenges us, ‘Dare to be a Daniel! Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!’ Marking Our Way Lester Amann Anyone used to hiking and climbing mountains will be aware of cairns - collections of small stones heaped upon each other. Cairns are markers along a route and ensure that walkers don’t head off in the wrong direction or succumb to danger. Cairns have been used as trail markers for thousands of years, and exist not only on mountains but also on many kinds of terrain. They can vary in size from a low pile of pebbles to elaborate stone monuments and large sculptures. Sometimes they are specific landmarks or memorials to some historic event. Cairns are mentioned in the Bible usually as ‘memorial stones’. Jacob made a small mound at Bethel and Moses ordered a more decorative construction on Mount Ebal. These were markers so that people would remember the blessings God had given them in the past. Joshua’s twelve stones at the River Jordan was a marker commemorating God’s miraculous demonstration, and in generations to come it would make people stop and think about His almighty power. Today, we have markers to remind us of God’s provision and love and these are presented as the Liturgical Year. This consists of the cycle of seasons, feast days and celebrations of saints. Alongside these, some churches use distinct liturgical colours to cover the altar as a visual reminder of a season or a day on the Christian Calendar. Of course, not all churches use a liturgical calendar and perhaps miss out on seasons such as Lent, to spend some time for personal reflection and spiritual growth. We may not all observe Maundy Thursday, Ascension Day or Trinity Sunday, but in one way or another we all observe Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. In the Bible narrative, the Israelites and later the Jewish nation, were often forgetful of God’s counsel and care. They needed visual markers of stones and their year of festivals to constantly remind them that God was always with them. The principle is the same for us. We can be forgetful, neglectful and negligent of God as we go about our busy, daily lives. What then are our personal markers? What can we use to help us stay on the right path with Him? Let’s identify our markers so we do not stray from God’s guiding and protective hand. Walking out "I hope you didn't take it personally, Reverend," said an embarrassed woman after a church service, "when my husband walked out during your sermon." "I did find it rather disconcerting," the preacher admitted. "It's not a reflection on you, sir," insisted the church-goer. "Ralph has been walking in his sleep ever since he was a child." FROM THE BISHOP Ascension Day and Scottish Election Day fall together on Thursday 5 May. Raising our aspirations is one way of thinking about Ascensiontide. If politics is the art of the possible then we need politicians of integrity and conviction and a Scottish government with the imagination and humility to listen and to harness the insights of those of different viewpoints. We need opposition parties who hold those in power to account. And we need to exercise our right and responsibility to vote. I will be presiding at a special Ascension Day Service for the central and northern areas of the diocese at 7.30pm at St Andrew’s Church Brechin with the Reverend Roderick Grahame, Minister of Brechin Cathedral preaching. There are refreshments afterwards and I hope some from St Ternan’s Muchalls might enjoy an evening out. Christian Aid Week falls 15-21 May. The current migrations of so many millions of people fleeing from violence, discrimination and poverty are an abrupt reminder of Jesus’ challenge to recognise our neighbour in the stranger, and to respond with heartfelt generosity. Christian Aid has many projects around the world which deserve our financial support and our prayers. On Sunday 16 May we keep the major Christian festival of Pentecost. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to the first Christians. The Babel of voices becomes a single message and Ezekiel’s dry bones are clothed in flesh and rattle into life. Wind and fire touch the apostles in Jerusalem and Jesus promises that the Spirit will lead us into all truth. Pentecost breathes new life and excitement into our faith and Church life – or at least it should. Sadly this is not always apparent, it is as if the lights are on but no-one’s in. The words of the Pentecost hymn are so much more inspiring: Like fireworks in the night, the Holy Spirit came; Disciples’ fears took flight when touched by fronds of flame: And suddenly the world was young as hope embraced a Saviour’s claim. I have a mischievous episcopal picture in my mind of the diocese as a box of fireworks full of unpredictable noise, colour and swirling movement, and insatiable energy! May the Spirit be with you always. Prayer of thanks for promises kept By Daphne Kitching Generous Father, Life is such a complex journey, with its ups and downs. We can easily go off course, or even feel lost. But you gave us Jesus to be our Way and our guide, and you promised never to leave us or forsake us. And when Jesus came back to you Lord, after His life on this earth, you promised even more wonderfully to send the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts, exchanging our fears and anxieties for your power and peace – a peace which we can’t explain, but can experience when we trust you. Thank you Father, Son and Holy Spirit that you keep your promises, and that in your strength we can move forward, confident in your reality and sovereignty, one step at a time. In Jesus name. Amen. St Andrews Church Brechin Ascension Day Service 7.30pm Thursday 5 May 2016 Followed by refreshments Led by the Rt Rev Dr Nigel Peyton Bishop of Brechin Preacher the Rev Roderick Grahame Minister of Brechin Cathedral The silent sermon A member of a certain church, who had previously attended services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the minister decided to visit him. He found the man at home all alone, sitting by a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his minister's visit, the man welcomed him awkwardly, and led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The minister made himself at home, but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, he took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. But now the minister chose this time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead bit of coal and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow once more, with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. With that, the minister smiled at his host, and quietly let himself out. Minutes of Vestry Meeting - Monday, 21st March 2016 1. Matters arising from Vestry Meeting Monday, 21 st March 2016 Rectory The new tenant is in residence All utilities have been notified. Disabled Car Park Work has commenced today. Baptism George has been in contact with the baby’s parents. Personalised candles to be presented to the infant and Godparents. Irene awaiting Baptismal forms from Bishop Nigel. Quiz Night Posters and tickets now printed for the evening 23 rd April in the Skateraw Hall, Newtonhill at 7p.m. Cost £5 Supper and Quiz being organised by Colin, Charity Giving. A generous total of £317 was collected for Spinal Muscular Atrophy from collections and Soup and Sweet lunch. Remuneration of Clergy Completed form returned to Synod Office 2. Treasurers Report. Income for February £2022.75 Expenditure £1974.69, giving surplus of £48.06. Current value of funds for February 2016 is £39,253.03. Final Statement received from Strutt and Parker re Rectory. They will hold £250. Awaiting confirmation re Synod’s contribution of £2K towards the Disabled Car Park Diocese Contribution for 2016: quota set at £3492 - Standing Order put in place for monthly payments to cover the amount. 3. Property Convenors Report Rectory Maintenance and essential work all completed, New Tenant appears to be very happy in Rectory. Reports/certificates waited from Electrical contractors, PAT testing of equipment, and Architects Meter to measure electricity supply to boiler house to be installed, and allow charging of allocated costs of power between church and rectory Quinquennial Inspection of Rectory completed. Report awaited. Grants may be available for work required once report is obtained 6. Church and extension: Electrical Periodic Inspection of Church and extension completed. Architect and the timber specialist have surveyed the church, loft space and under floors. Reports awaited. Some external painting and cleaning to outside of extension and repair and painting of Vestry ceiling still to be done. AOCB Synod Meeting. Colin’s report will be in the Church Magazine this month. Mothering Sunday. A letter of thanks has been sent to Tesco for donating the Daffodils for Mothering Sunday Peter has had a meeting with David and Anne Geldart. from St James Church. They have indicated that they wish to retire from active church involvement from May next year. George has been approached by Rev Mel Griffiths regarding starting a Bible study group in Chapelton. Should we show more/another film in church following the success of the last performance. George understands a family from Chapelton would be happy to give an evening concert of gospel music should we wish them to do so. It was decided to explore other groups for a Gospel Evening The church census form is to be completed in May this year. Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations. Vestry discussed the North Ecumenical Service at Blairs to be held on June 5th. It was agreed that we would also have a celebration at our morning service on that day. Rhona Vassilikos John and Charles Wesley - evangelists and hymn-writers John and Charles Wesley were the founders of Methodism. Two of nineteen children born to Samuel and Susannah Wesley of Epworth Rectory in Lincolnshire in 1703 and 1707, their father was the local rector, while their mother was a spiritual inspiration to her many children. Both John and Charles went to Christ Church, Oxford (1720 and 1726). John was ordained, and Charles and some friends formed a “Holy Club” while still at college. It consisted of men who dedicated themselves to Bible study, prayer, fasting and good works. Such regular disciplines soon earned Charles the nickname ‘Methodist’. The name stuck. Both Charles and John felt called to the mission field, and so in 1735 they sailed to Georgia. Their time among Indians in America was not a success – they struggled for any real spiritual authority in their ministries. Feeling failures, they returned to England in some depression. John summed it up: “I went to America to convert the Indians; but, oh, who shall convert me?” Then the Wesleys made friends with some Moravians. They stressed that salvation cannot be earned, but must be received by grace through faith in Christ. Charles was the first to experience this ‘true’ conversion, when on Pentecost Sunday, 21st May 1738, he wrote that the Spirit of God “chased away the darkness of my unbelief.” Only three days later, on 24th May, 1738, it was John’s turn. As he wrote in his journal: “In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed.” John and Charles Wesley then devoted the rest of their lives to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ – and turned England upside-down. When the established Church threw John out, he took to the fields, preaching to coal miners and commoners. His itinerant evangelism took him 250,000 miles on horseback and to preach over 40,000 sermons. His small “societies” attracted some 120,000 followers by the time of his death. Charles became the most prolific and skilled hymn-writer in English history, writing hymns that are sung widely today, such as “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.” In all, he wrote nearly 7000 hymns. The legacy of the two brothers lives on. As well as Methodism, their teaching has widely impacted the holiness movement, the Pentecostal movement, and Baptism 17th April 2016 conducted by Bishop Nigel Peyton Congratulations to Ava Grace and her parents Eliot and Victoria "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." [Galatians 3:27] The unstoppable power unleashed at Pentecost The Rev Roger Roberts, former senior pastor of International Baptist Church in Brussels, Nine days after the Ascension of Jesus, and 49 days after his crucifixion, the Jews were doing what they always did this time of year, preparing for the Feast of Ingathering, or Harvest. It was held 50 days after the Passover, and with it, life in Israel looked set to return to normal, with Jesus well on the way to becoming just a memory. So no one paid any attention to a small group of Jesus’ disciples who had gathered in a house in Jerusalem. There were only about 120 of them, and they were quiet and kept to themselves. The Jews, if they thought about it at all, would have assumed they were still grieving their lost leader. But the disciples, far from grieving Jesus’ death, were eagerly awaiting for him to send them a present…. Though they did not understand exactly what it might be. All they knew was that Jesus was alive, and that before He had ascended to heaven, He had told them to go to Jerusalem and wait there together for “the gift my father has promised” (Acts 1:4) He had said: “stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) These disciples, though they did not know it then, were already acting as the future church – the ecclesia, which literally means ‘called-out ones’. For those disciples stuck together, together they waited for God’s blessing. As with them, so with us today: even though each conversion is intensely personal, we are not converted to be alone in our faith. Far from it! We are not saved to solitude, but to a life in the fellowship of the Church. Jesus has ordained that His followers, TOGETHER, be His family on earth, His witness to the world. But it has never been a family built on likeness – the believers in the house that day came from very different backgrounds – from right-wing conservatives (Matthew) to radical left-wing zealots (Simon). There were some straight-forward fishermen and even women, for good measure. From the day of its birth, Jesus’ family would include all kinds of people who would find their unity in Him. The first thing the disciples did was to get down to the business of praying. They did not try and unite themselves by long discussions with each other. It was the “joining together constantly in prayer” (verse 14) that brought them together. The 19th Century London pastor FB Meyer expressed well what awaited those disciples “The task that awaited that little group was one of unparalleled difficulty. …They were to disciple all nations, speaking different languages, scattered over the vast Roman Empire, which extended from the Atlantic to the Far East. … They were to substitute Christianity for paganism, as the foundation of a new type of civilization. …In fact, humanly speaking and without exaggeration, it depended on that tiny group of unknown and ordinary men and women, whether the Incarnation and Death, the Resurrection and Ascension, of the Son of God would obtain the audience and acceptance of mankind.” Today the Christian Church faces the same challenge – of making Christ known. We can do “business as usual” in our strength and by our resources. But great manifestations of God’s saving, healing and restoring power come only as God’s people “stay for the Spirit” and “wait for the gift” as Jesus commanded (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). Each of us would do well to “ask, seek and knock” for God’s fullness day by day, if we are to enjoy His full anointing of power on our lives and ministry. We all ‘leak’, and need the continual in-filling that comes from abiding, persistent prayer. It was out of the context of prayer that this incipient church in Jerusalem was preparing for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. For God’s fullness in our lives and awakening in our church today we must believe that He is able and willing to fulfil His highest purpose for us. He wants to give us His “good gifts,” namely, His Holy Spirit in fullness. That day in Jerusalem, when the Holy Spirit arrived in all His fullness, Peter stood up and preached the first ever Christian sermon to the astonished Jews in the city. So - the Jesus their rulers had crucified at Passover was not dead after all! That Jesus WAS the Messiah, and He was alive! 3,000 were converted that same day. In the power of the Spirit, the Church was born – and growing fast! A Christian may not always be conscious of the Holy Spirit’s presence, but he would not even be a Christian in his absence. John Blanchard CHRISTIAN AID WEEK This is the week we love every neighbour Jesus calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves, and not just the ones next door or at the end of the street. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14) The Trinity – when God comes near! Rev Richard Bewes For through him, we both have access to the Father by one Spirit (Ephesians 2:18) Access – at last! This is one of the most stupendous sentences in the Bible. Try and think back to the world of pagan prayers – which had to work frenziedly to gain the reluctant attention of god or gods - with different names – and believed to be touchy about being addressed properly. Then in ‘monistic’ belief systems that hold to a single Divinity, God can be perceived as immense and transcendant, certainly – but aloof and unknowable. Gigantic, yes – but you can’t get near him! There was also the traditional animism of Africa, where I was born and brought up. There God was very much identified with nature; true He might have had His dwelling on Mount Kenya, but He was also to be found in the rivers, in the rocks; or associated with some special tree. In this pantheistic mindset, God is actually conceived as being quite close to the worshipper – but, oh – so small! But while Trinitarian belief declares the Lord to be the great God of all the universe, it is the historical event of His becoming human among us that has brought Him within tangible reach… and strangely, without shrinking Him! When we come to the Trinity, we come – for the first time - to an attractive God of self-disclosure and self-giving. Here is the God who historically has acted - in the making of Himself KNOWN; in the suffering for our SINS; in the bestowing of His POWER. We read in Titus 3, verse 4 that ‘when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us.’ Were any other supposed deities noted for their ‘kindness,’ in putting the interests of a race of rebels above their own – to the point of naked crucifixion before a jeering crowd?’ That’s it. When the true God – Father Son and Holy Spirit – occupies the life and prayers of a fellowship, its members may not be aware of the power that’s flowing out from their gathering – but newcomers will feel it instantly - on entry! Children’s exam papers The following real life answers to various exams explain why teachers need long holidays… What is a nitrate? Cheaper than a day rate. What was Sir Walter Raleigh famous for? He is a noted figure in history because he invented cigarettes and started a craze for bicycles. What did Mahatma Gandhi and Genghis Khan have in common? Unusual names. Name one of the early Romans’ greatest achievements. Learning to speak Latin. Name six animals which live specifically in the Arctic. Two polar bears. Four seals. Assess Fashion House plc’s choice to locate its factory near Birmingham. Is Birmingham the right location for this type of business? No. People from Birmingham aren’t very fashionable. How does Romeo’s character develop throughout the play? It doesn’t, it’s just self, self, self, all the way through. Name the wife of Orpheus, whom he attempted to save from the underworld. Mrs Orpheus. Where was the American Declaration of Independence signed? At the bottom. What happens during puberty to a boy? He says goodbye to his childhood and enters adultery. State three drawbacks of hedgerow removal. All the cows will escape. The cars drive into the fields. There is nowhere to hide. What is the meaning of the word varicose? Close by. What is a fibula? A little lie. Why would living close to a mobile phone mast cause ill health? You might walk into it. What is a vibration? There are good vibrations and bad vibrations. Good vibrations were discovered in the 1960s. Where was Hadrian’s Wall built? Around Hadrian’s garden. The race of people known as Malays come from which country? Malaria. May 16 – June 16 National Smile Month National Smile Month is 40 years old this year. It is the UK’s largest and longest-running campaign to promote good oral health, aiming to encourage people to brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, to cut down on sugar, and to visit the dentist regularly. Organised by the British Dental Health Foundation. Some fun facts about your smile that you may not know: - It takes 43 muscles to frown, but only 17 to smile. - Some people admit to picking their teeth with keys, earrings, bank notes and even screwdrivers! - The going rate given by the tooth fairy these days is £1 - 61% of us have been attracted to someone by their smile alone - 24% of us would share our toothbrush with our partner. Promise of the Father By Daphne Kitching (Lk24:44-53, Heb 11:1-3) Blessing led to leaving, and leaving to a new coming, a coming in power and joy to worship and to witness to God’s plan fulfilled in the reality of Jesus, living. This is the promised day, the day of clothing with power and presence, and a fresh sending of those with opened eyes in every generation, releasing hope and faith-filled certainty, making sense of everything. Come Holy Spirit, clothe me, send me. Ministry Team Interim Minister: Bishop of Brechin Right Rev’d Dr Nigel Peyton Tel: 01382 562244 (office) George Masson Tel: 07711393725 ROTA ---- MAY 2016 Date: CELEBRANT/ Readers/ Pastoral Assistant/ Intercessions: Readings: Sidesperson Cleaning/ Teas Address/Chalice 01/05/16 PETER SMART Sheila Usher ACTS 16: 9-15 SIXTH Irene Butler Carl Nelson REVELATION 21: 10,22-22: 5 Carol Masson JOHN 14: 23-29 SUNDAY OF EASTER 08/05/16 Sunday after Ascension Day John Usher Muriel Hargreaves PETER SMART Jan Horn ACTS 1. 1-11 Katie Gill EPHESIANS 1: 15-23 Ken Tonge LUKE 24: 44-53 Irene Butler Bob Mathewson Sheila Usher Jan Horn Kathleen Northcroft Carol Masson Peter Hall Sue Selway 15/05/16 GEORGE MASSON PENTECOST Irene Butler 22/05/16 REVD MICHAEL PATERSON TRINITY SUNDAY Irene Butler T.B.A T.B.A Carl Nelson Sue Selway Audrey Smith George Masson PROVERBS 8. 1-4, 22-31 Sue Manson ROMANS 5: 1-5 Carol Masson JOHN 16: 12-15 Bob Mathewson Rhona Vassilikos Jan Horn Muriel Hargreaves Peggy Tonge Muriel Hargreaves ST 29/05/16 BISHOP NIGEL Sheila Usher 1 KINGS 8 22-23, 41-43 PENTECOST 2 Irene Butler Ken Tonge GALATIONS 1: 1-12 Carl Nelson John Usher Rhoda Nelson LUKE 7: 1-10 Sue Selway 05/06/16 GEORGE MASSON Jan Horn PENTECOST 3 Sheila Usher Carl Nelson Di Driver Sheila Usher ST 1 KINGS 17: 17-24 GALATIONS 1: 11-24 LUKE 7: 11-17 Carl Nelson Kathleen Northcroft Carol Masson