WHAT'S IN THIS WEEK
Worship with us:
Our Sunday Service of Holy Communion is online for the majority of people; only those people with specific ministries essential for worship are able to attend in person.
We are open for Morning Prayer on a Wednesday at 9am, staying open for private prayer until midday.
Whilst nowhere can guarantee 100% safety, we have a thorough risk assessment for this and all activity in church.
Join us in worship! Head to our YouTube Channel to join us Live at 10am on Sunday, and access other videos. You can do that by clicking or tapping on this link:
Join us afterwards! We meet up after the service at 11am. After the live service, grab a coffee and click or tap on the link below to join us on Zoom:
NEW THIS WEEK
Lent Course Starts this Sunday!
Our online Lent Course based on the book "How to Explain your Faith" starts with a group get-together on Zoom, this Sunday (21st February) at 4pm.
This is a great opportunity to re-engage with your faith, and other people, over Lent. Head over to our Lent page to sign up now!
Our Lent Page >
Eco Church Update
In December 2019, St. Mary’s registered as a member of the Eco Church scheme. The aim is to make changes and reduce our carbon footprint, in line with the Church of England commitment of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2030. Over the last year it has been difficult to progress with our goals, but we are now thinking of ways, as individuals and a church, to go forward with this scheme. We plan to share ideas and suggestions with you over the coming months.
A good starting point, as individuals, is to know our own carbon footprint and work on ways to reduce it. The link below helps calculate that and gives some helpful advice.
Thought for the Week
Carol and I have always loved cooking and the lockdown has allowed us to indulge in that passion. Neither of us had much idea when we first married. Friday became experiment night when we would try something new. Saturday, well that was curry night. During the day I would call into our local Asian grocer: top up on spices; collect the fresh dhania (coriander), ginger, chillies, garlic and Halal meat. I didn’t really understand what Halal meant, except that it made a great curry. The shopkeeper even gave me a crudely made chapati pan which I used for years and I would roast the spices in the oven before grinding them in a mortar and pestle. We seemed to have so much time in 1969 BC (Before Children). Out of necessity I found quicker ways of doing things.
Recently, I discovered a recipe on the internet which was remarkably like the one I used back in the day. I had all the spices on the shelf, coriander, cumin seeds, cardamom pods, fenugreek, turmeric, cinnamon, curry leaves etc. and I just had to try it again. I followed the instructions to the letter, and it took forever to make what became the worst curry of my life! My first instinct was to blame the creator of the recipe rather than myself and that got me thinking. During successive lockdowns we have witnessed and experienced some of the most wonderful examples of what makes life worthwhile: the very best ingredients blending into the delights of humanity. However, when things go wrong we seem to look for a scapegoat, fuelling a blame culture, rather than following God’s Recipe, which is: to be animated by faith; inspired by hope; and resourced by love. Then we ought never be surprised at what is achieved. Amen.
Revd Eric Lewis
MORE NEWS & REMINDERS
Old News
Remember you can always look through previous weeks' notices. Whether you're looking for charity links, Dave's plant catalogue, the link to Derek's book, or an old prayer list... they're all there. All the notices we've produced since they went online are available by clicking the "Notices" tab at the top of the page, or here:
For your prayers this week:
Your Prayers are requested for
Olya Bouchard
Martin Cooper
Don
Amy Herbert
Rose Ketteringham
Alan and Margaret Stears
Jennifer Stephenson
Rest in Peace
Eileen Boyd
Beryl Carter
John Cure
Pat Fenwick
Danielle O’Hagan
Cynthia Rawle
Chris Taylor
Bill Carter
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.
This Sunday's Hymns & Readings
Remember that News and notices from previous weeks are all available to read by clicking "notices" at the top of the page. Sign up below to receive our weekly email by joining our mailing list.
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