Sunday 22nd March 2015 WELCOME

Sunday 22nd March 2015
WELCOME - A very warm welcome to everyone today. If you are new to Aldridge Parish Church, we would love you to fill in a
‘Welcome’ card, which you will find at the back of church. We will be in touch to welcome you and let you know about events that
might interest you. You can also pick up our ‘Welcome Pack’ from the information point or visit www.aldridgeparishchurch.org for
a full picture of what we do or contact the church office if you have a specific query. We welcome Jane Achaloi from Uganda a
guest speaker from Tearfund at this morning’s service.
Verse for the Year: ‘Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Colossians 3:17
Sunday 22nd March
Morning Worship and Sunday Special – with guest speaker Jane Achaloi
Holy Communion – Encounters with Jesus – Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-10)
This Sunday: Sunday Special, the last session of Father's House and a special visitor from Uganda! Families are invited to come to
the Centre all together at 10.00 to worship God and then to leave the children at Sunday Special and go down to church for the
rest of the service.
THIS WEEK
Wednesday Worship – 25th March at 10.30am in church
Sunday 29th March – Palm Sunday – Reminder clocks go forward
10.00am Holy Communion – Lectionary: Luke 19:28-44
3.30pm Memorial Service
6.30pm Evening Worship – Tearfund theme
LOOKING AHEAD
Celebrate Easter: family event in the centre on Thursday 2nd April 9.45-12.30. Last chance to book places by 25th March. Please
contact the church office or Rachel Butterfield. Email: rachelbutterfield@aldridgeparishchurch.org.
Maundy Thursday – Great idea for 2015... Across the Parish on Maundy Thursday members of the congregation are encouraged to
welcome others into their home for a simple meal prior to joining a Parish wide service celebrating the Lord’s Supper 8.30pm at St
Thomas’ church. Some hosts will specifically invite someone to come; others will simply invite people to sign up and thereby
welcome anybody. Please sign up on the sheet at the back, hosts please indicate how many guests you can welcome, guests
please indicate how many will be coming.
Open Door. Urgent request for Help. Open Door is when year 4 children from local schools come to visit the church for a day of
creative learning about the church building and the Christian faith. In order to make plans Rachel Butterfield and Gary Daniel are
looking for volunteers to help run this event on Tuesday 14th April- Thursday 16th April. Please let them know if you can help as
the programme needs to be finalised. It is a great time of learning, serving and fun.
ALPHA – New Alpha course starts on Wednesday 15th April – Please speak to Rob Cook for further details or if you would like to
join this course.
Parish of Aldridge Women’s Weekend - 'Dancing on the Edge' 17th - 19th April 2015 @Whitemoor Lakes Conference Centre,
Lichfield Relax, enjoy fellowship, make new friends and enjoy our Guest Speaker. Chine Mbubaegbu, Director of Communications at
the Evangelical Alliance Cost : £125 - payable in instalments - Deposit to secure your place £25
Contact helenmgilbert@googlemail.com for details and bookings
2015 Annual Meetings
Parish Church AGM: Monday April 20th 8pm in church.
Elections - At the Parish Church AGM we will be appointing churchwardens and PCM members. Nomination forms are available at
the Information Point at the back of church. All forms to be handed to either a church warden or into the church office.
Electoral Roll – If you worship regularly at Aldridge Parish Church (and you are 16 or over), we would encourage you to be on the
Electoral Roll – the membership list of the church. The current roll and application forms are available at the Information Point at
the back of church; please also check if your name is on the list, that your details are correct and up to date.
AGM reports from our different church groups need to be into the office by Sunday 12 th April in time for the AGM. Thank you.
Diary Note : Wednesday 17th June – Evening with Adrian Plass – more details soon.
Roughshod, the touring group of Riding Lights, are coming to Aldridge between Sunday 28th June and Sunday 5th July. An
opportunity to spread the gospel through a drama presentation. Help is needed to plan and organise the main performance.
Interested? contact Lizzie and Roland Jones (01922458769)
OTHER NOTICES
Giving Envelopes – Envelopes for 2015 are available at the back of church, if you make your regular giving this way please
collect your new envelopes.
Rhythms of Grace with St Chad – Anyone with an interest in the Order of St Chad or looking at ‘Rhythms of Grace’ there is a
booklet available at the back of church for during Holy Week and Easter. Please help yourself to a copy.
Alan and Gillian Winser are planning to take a team out to Bulgaria at October half term as part of the work with Krasif Aid. We
will be doing a variety of things whilst there but this will probably include play and craft activities with disabled children, DIY, and
visits to some of the centres we work in. Any one of any age is welcome to join us!
If you would like to find out more and see if this is something you may be interested in, please come along to a meeting on
Tuesday 31st March. Let us know either directly or via email alanandgillian@blueyonder.co.uk
Notice Sheet Our notice sheet is available by email. Please email the church office if you would like to be on the distribution list.
A limited number of copies are available for those who do not have email access or who would prefer to collect a copy in church.
Our notices are also on our website www.aldridgeparishchurch.org and copies of the monthly notice sheet, with full details of our
services, regular activities and contact information, are also available at the Information Point in church.
Global and Local Outreach (GLO) Mission Focus for March is TEARFUND and our Partnership with them in UGANDA. Please pray
for the work of TEARFUND during the month of March. Many of you will know of Tearfund's work and may even be supporters of
this charity. The church was asked by Tearfund to partner them in a project in Northern Uganda working with the Anglican Diocese
of Kitgum. For full prayer request please see the March monthly notice sheet.
Prayer Diary 23rd March 2015
Monday: As we enter the fifth week in Lent, be open to God's graces, prepared to examine your priorities and ask the Lord to
renew your heart, to experience God's reconciling love and gift of healing. Spend a few moments considering Jesus' sacrifice on
the cross and let the realisation sink in that He did it all for you. Offer some words of praise to Him. Who do you most want to
share your faith with? Name them before the Lord and ask for His blessing on their lives.
Tuesday: Easter Services are being held this week at APC for Cooper and Jordan School children and their parents. Pray the
services will be more than just performances as the children show what they have prepared; pray that they will be times of
worship, blessing and discovery of God's love poured out for us all. Pray that our children's worker Rachel Butterfield will be
encouraged and blessed today.
Wednesday: Pray for all who come regularly to Wednesday Worship and for those who lead it. Ask the Lord for deepening faith,
friendship and fellowship. Pray for those in our congregation who are retired that they will find new and exciting ways to serve
God. Pray for the elderly members of our church, for the ministry of Oasis and the visiting teams and for Maxine as she seeks to
minister to people with many different needs.
Thursday: Thank God for the teams who run Little Fishes Pre-School and Noah's Ark Parent & Toddler Group. These dedicated
teams are often the first contacts people have with our church family - pray for friendships to develop and
connections/conversations that will lead to a curiosity about faith that will bear fruit in God's timing. This evening our older
children meet at Freezer Games. Pray they have a fantastic time and thank God for the new team which is coming together to
lead Freezer.
Friday: Continue to pray for our new partnership with Tearfund in Uganda and thank God for the visit of Jane Achaloi last
weekend. Pray for Jane as she returns home after her speaking engagements in UK churches; pray particularly for her sister who is
having treatment for breast cancer and for the children Jane supports as a surrogate mother, caring for them and funding them
through school. Praise God for the transformation that is taking place as a result of PEP and pray for those 'disciples' in the local
villages who are facilitating the process. At home, remember the teenagers and leaders of AYF who meet this evening; pray for
good conversations about faith to continue after the visit last week of the Soul Survivor team.
Saturday: Pray ahead for the forthcoming AGM and ask for the Lord's guidance on the 'business' of the parish. Ask Him to prompt
those He wants to offer themselves to serve on the PCM, Deanery Synod or as Wardens that they may discern the right thing to do
and with the right motives.
Sunday: "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever" Psalm 118 v1. Today is Palm Sunday, and we remember
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, to cheering crowds. Remember when you welcomed Jesus into your own life and thank him; think
back to Monday and remember again the person you prayed for then. Pray that this Holy Week you will have opportunities to talk
to them about the true meaning of Easter. Today the organisation 'Open Doors' asks us to pray for the Maldives. Radical Islam is
growing in the Maldives; more than 200 Maldivians have joined IS in Iraq and Syria. Funding from Saudi Arabia helps the growth of
conservative Islam in the country, making the situation worse. Please pray for more voices of moderation to counter the trend.
Praise God for our freedom to worship today”
Also, through the week please pray for those who are unwell, including Clare Eveleigh, Elaine Fry, Tina Jones, Neil Margetts,
Jill Sprason, Olivia Stanford and Brian Trimmer. Pray too for those who have been bereaved recently, we remember the family and
friends of Anthony Mason, Norman Bott, Robert Oakley, Valerie Wilkins and especially remembering Sarah Homer and her family
following the her mother Anne’s funeral this week.