This Week's News & Notices
Parish Eucharist
A glimpse of normality as we return to a service of Holy Communion. Whether you are a long-standing member of our church community, or you have recently started to join us, you are very welcome. We are now able to accommodate more people in church than before (still socially distanced, and with all safety precautions), so we hope to see you soon. Please RSVP below if possible (to help us prepare), but if you turn up on the day we will always try to find a place for you.
RSVP to join us in church this Sunday 13th September 2020 by clicking below, or by leaving a message on the office answerphone.
If you aren't able to join us in church, you can still join in from home. The service is LIVE from 09:45am on Sunday, then available as a video all week.
Live Stream Update
Your prayers seem to be paying off! We have had more success with the live streams. I have been in church testing various audio set-ups to help improve the sound, but at least it is working now. If you are having issues with sound, please check your computer settings first. There is a slight 'echo' or delay with the sound, and it could be all louder, but I'm on the case. Ben
Visits to Church
As you may have heard there are rules changing again from Monday but at this time of writing there appears to be no change to arrangements for church services. However, we must stay vigilant to keep everyone safe. You should therefore not enter church unless it’s for Private Prayer on Wednesdays or for the service on Sundays or unless it has been previously arranged for you to do so. If you do enter the church building for any reason you must wear a face mask, even if you are on your own. You must also sanitise your hands on entry and sign the sheet to say what time you arrived and left. The church building must be kept Covid safe to protect our community and all touch points need to be wiped down with antibacterial wipes etc as you leave, along with the sanitising of your hands again. Try not to just ‘pop’ in and do ask yourself if your visit is necessary at this time.
APCM
Our Annual Parish Church Meeting will be held on Sunday 20th September at 11:30am. We have a dedicated page for the APCM where you can access the reports and nomination forms as well as 'RSVP' like we do for coming to church. This is so we can prepare for the numbers, and have details for contact tracing. If you’d like a copy of the church accounts sent to you before the APCM then do let us know, or if you would like to ask a question about the accounts or any other aspects of St Mary's ministry then please do so in writing to Grace Morgan care of St Mary's.
We need 5 new PCC members and 2 wardens. Instead of having to print out forms, everything can be easily filled in online via the APCM page. If you would prefer to have a form sent to you, or if you want to discuss standing for one of the posts, or nominating someone else, then please contact Grace Morgan on 0191 252 5866 or email gracemorgan138@gmail.com.
Church Open Times
Morning Prayer is on Wednesdays at 9am, and the church remains open until midday for private prayer.
The Parish Office
The Parish Office remains closed as Dot and Carol are doing most of the work from home. Phone messages or emails will be checked regularly and any correspondence can be popped through the letterbox in the north door and will be responded to as soon as possible.
Congratulations Sue & Adrian!
We send Sue and Adrian our love, congratulations and best wishes from all at St Mary’s following their wedding on Friday 4th September. The service was Live Streamed to family and friends across the world, but the video is no longer public. If you missed the wedding service and you would like a private link to watch, please contact the office. The flowers in church this week are from the wedding.
Paschal Candle
The Paschal Candle has been donated by the family of Anne Gregory in loving memory of Anne and Greg.
Mothers' Union
To all our members: the Committee hope you are all keeping well. Your September Newsletter will be arriving soon either by email or post. Although we shall not be meeting in the foreseeable future or planning any events for next spring we are still hoping to supply a few Christmas boxes to the People's Kitchen or supply cosmetics to people at the Women's Refuge. If you join the Church Coffee Mornings you may see fellow members. Keep safe
Harvest Festival
St Mary’s Harvest service will be at 10am on Sunday 27th September. It is hoped we can bring gifts of non-perishable foods as below which will be shared between ‘Walking With’ and ‘The Bay Foodbank’ and there will be more information about this next week.
A request from 'Walking With in North Tyneside'.
We hope you are all safe and well. We are aware Harvest Festival is approaching and that we are working in a very different way at the moment. We are now accepting food donations as well as cash donations. We only have a couple of staff at the Walking With centre in Hugh Street, Wallsend on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9.30am-3pm. We will accept donations of food only (no clothing). Our centre is still not open to our clients and we are still asking anyone who delivers any donations to wear a mask and follow the government guidelines. Listed below is the food we require to enable us to continue to support our clients. The foods we require are:
basmati rice
sugar
tea bags
coffee
toilet rolls
washing powder
washing up liquid
oil
pasta/spaghetti
shampoo
shower gel
toothpaste
biscuits
These would help us immensely. Thank you so much for your continuous support.
Goodbye to the sleeping dogs
After 5 months we are changing our Church at Home page. Our main act of worship as a community has now returned to church, and so it is appropriate to update these changes on our website. Our Live Stream videos have moved to sit alongside information about our Services and Worship, and all this information is now available at stmarysmonkseaton.org.uk/worship, or by clicking Join in > Services & Worship in the menu bar at the top.
Virtual Coffee Morning
Our Online Coffee Morning via Zoom has started up again and will now be once a month. So do sign up for the next one which will be on Tuesday 13th October. If you are able to join us online between 10:30am and 11:15am we’d love to see you.
Click the link above, or go to ‘Events’ on our website to RSVP and get a link to join via Zoom. You would need to click on RSVP and enter your name and email address and click on ‘submit’. An email is then sent to you with a link to the Coffee Morning. If you haven’t already got Zoom, you can get it for free on your computer, tablet or phone. You could download it now from https://zoom.us.
Good News
We send our congratulations to Roger and Andrea Windass on the birth of their grandson, a beautiful baby boy for Gemma and Mark, and also to Ruth Blake who is thankful for the birth and safe arrival of her great nephew, a lovely baby boy, Oliver Stephen Morrison. Love and best wishes to you all from St Mary’s.
Sharing Good News
Do let us know if you or others are celebrating any special event or anniversary or if you have any news you wish to share and we can put this news into our future email letters. You can do this by leaving a message on the church office answerphone 0191 251 4216 or email at: office@stmarysmonkseaton.org.uk.
New Book: Scripture Messages
Copies of Derek Burton’s book ‘Scripture Messages’ are available FREE OF CHARGE. (although any donations - to St Mary's - would be appreciated). Let the office or Derek know if you’d like a copy: 0191 251 2064 or derekburton344@gmail.com
"I recommend Derek Burton's book for many reasons. It is a well organised collection of talks and messages on extracts based on the Bible. It is informed and illustrated with stories and examples, as well as references to other parts of the Bible. This book makes you want to read more of the chapter from which the texts are taken. Above all it is a candid testimony to the power and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to change and enrich lives. It has integrity. A good book, I think to use for Bible study, as it aims to point to a personal relationship with Christ. More than ever it is relevant today in our beautiful but disturbed and chaotic modern world."
Rosemay Dunlop
Plants Sale for Church Funds
Last year, Dave Haddock, who was running the Tai Chi class in our hall, brought a selection of plants and shrubs to our Autumn Fayre. He is now offering to sell some of his plants which he grows in his Wallsend nursery garden, and he will deliver if local. 30% of sales will be donated to St Mary’s, so be sure to mention St Mary’s when you order!
So far £130 has been raised through this scheme!
Order from Dave Haddock: tel. 0191 2524985, mob. 07976 687973, or email: landman2000uk@yahoo.co.uk. View the Catalogue below.
For your prayers this week:
Your Prayers are requested for
Martin Cooper
Olya Bouchard
Emma Campbell
Jonathan Jackman
Michael Hampson
Susie Brett
Jennifer Stephenson
Rona Lawrie
Rest in Peace
Malcolm West
Annie Warden
Tom Bell (Anniversary)
Please also pray for
Sue and Adrian as they start their married life together.
Don’t forget, you can add someone to the prayer list by emailing or phoning as usual, but you need to get their permission before adding them to the sick list. You can also use the form on the website here to submit a prayer request online.
Access the Readings in Church
You can use your phone or tablet to open these notices and follow along with the readings and the words of the music. This week there's also a 'QR code' to help you. Open your phone's camera and hold it over the 'QR code'. This will direct you to our notices directly on your phone.
This Sunday's Hymns & Readings
Collect
Almighty God,
whose only Son has opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
A reading from Genesis
Realising that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?’ So they approached Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this instruction before he died, “Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.” Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.’ Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, ‘We are here as your slaves.’ But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.’ In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
Genesis 50: 15-21
A reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans
Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgement on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgement on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.
We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ So then, each of us will be accountable to God. Romans 14: 1-12
The Gospel according to Matthew
Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’
Matthew 18: 21-35
Offertory Hymn
Dear Lord and Father of mankind, Forgive our foolish ways; Re-clothe us in our rightful mind, in purer lives Thy service find, in deeper reverence, praise,
in deeper reverence, praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard, beside the Syrian sea, the gracious calling of the Lord, let us, like them, without a word, rise up and follow Thee,
rise up and follow Thee.
O Sabbath rest by Galilee, O calm of hills above, where Jesus knelt to share with Thee the silence of eternity, interpreted by love!
interpreted by love!
Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease; take from our souls the strain and stress, and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of Thy peace,
the beauty of Thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire Thy coolness and Thy balm; let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still, small voice of calm!
O still, small voice of calm!
Post Communion Prayer
Lord God, the source of truth and love,
keep us faithful to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
united in prayer and the breaking of bread,
and one in joy and simplicity of heart,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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