Christian Aid Week 10th - 16th May
There will be no house-to-house collections this year so please donate to Christian Aid Week this year as you would normally do. There are lots of ways to do this that you can find on Christian Aid's website: christianaid.org.uk or follow the link on the news section of the website. You can also donate by phone with various options on 020 7523 2269.
Different aspects of the work of Christian Aid around the world will be highlighted each day this week on their website and on their Facebook page. We are running a Christian Aid quiz through our Facebook page too and Rachel will be sharing the answers to the questions on St Mary's Church Facebook page on Sunday evening at 5pm.
Church Use
Restrictions on the use of church buildings have been nationally reviewed and we are now able to carry out maintenance visits etc but public worship is still not to be allowed. Only one or two people per week are permitted to enter at present. We are able now though to ring the bell and this will be done on Thursdays at 8pm. Some of you may have heard it rung for VE Day on Friday too, after the 2 minute silence at 11am.
VE DAY
The following prayer was produced for VE Day by the Church of England and you may find it helpful:
Lord God our Father, we pledge ourselves to serve you and all humankind,
in the cause of peace, for the relief of want and suffering, and for the praise of your name. Guide us by your Spirit; give us wisdom; give us courage; give us hope; and keep us faithful now and always. Amen.
Virtual Coffee Morning
Our Online Coffee Morning is a success, and we will be keeping it going. Join us online between 10:30am and 11:15am on Tuesdays. Go to ‘Events’ on our website: stmarysmonkseaton.org.uk/events to RSVP and get a link to join via Zoom. To receive the link you would need to click on RSVP and enter you name and email address and click on RSVP again. An email is then sent to you with the link to the Coffee Morning to use on the day. If you don't already have Zoom, you can get it for free on your computer, tablet or phone. You could download it now from https://zoom.us.
Happy Anniversary!
Susana and James Parkinson will celebrate their first wedding anniversary on 11th May.
Our congratulations and very best wishes go to them both from all at St Mary’s!
New Daily Hope Phone Line
“Daily Hope” offers music, prayers and reflections as well as full worship services from the Church of England at the end of a telephone line. The line – which is available FREE, 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044 – has been set up particularly with those unable to join online church services during the period of restrictions in mind.
You can select options to listen to Prayer During the Day and Night Prayer updated daily, and a recording of the Church of England weekly national online service. A section called ‘Hymn Line’ offers callers a small selection of hymns, updated daily. An option entitled ‘Hymns We Love’, provides a hymn and reflection.
100 Club:
April winners: £50 Julia Jones, £30 Alison Telfer, £20 Carole Lax. Cheques will be issued as soon as lockdown is lifted.
Gift Aid and Planned Giving
Please contact Rosie Tate if you would like a Gift Aid statement regarding the tax year just ended, or if you have any questions regarding Planned Giving during lockdown. (rosietate@me.com; 297 0869).
Mental Health
Recognising how impactful the coronavirus and isolation can be to our mental health, The Church of England has provided some mental health resources, including tips for dealing with loneliness, daily reflections on various issues, and links to support providers. You can access the resources here: https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-action/mental-health-resources
Your Prayers are requested for:
Martin Cooper
Catherine Connors
Lottie and Daisy
Gordon
Kathleen Dales
Shelagh Goodwin
Rest in Peace
David Moorhead
Enid Havard
Ethel Aldridge
Richard Jarvis
Lila Porter
Irene Hindley
William Dorey (Anniversary)
Don’t forget, you can still add names to the list by emailing or phoning as usual, but you need to get the person’s permission before adding them to the sick list.
Do let Dot & Carol know if you or others are celebrating any special event or anniversary so that 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 via email.