Joining us in Church
Our 10am Sunday Services are going well but at the moment we are still limited to 30 people. If you would like to go, you should use the link below to 'sign up', or you can ring the office beforehand and leave a message and if there are still spaces Dot and Carol can reserve a seat for you and let you know. There are usually spaces, so don't be shy!
Church of England guidance on face masks
In addition to wearing masks in shops and public transport, from 8th August, face coverings are also required by law to be worn in a greater number of public indoor settings including places of worship, museums, galleries, cinemas and public libraries.
There are valid exemptions for some individuals and groups not to wear a face covering in these settings. In particular, those who are leading services or events in a place of worship, and those who assist them (for instance by reading, preaching, or leading prayer) do not always need to wear a face covering.
Updated 05/08/20
Come and join us in church this Sunday 9th August 2020. To help us prepare we are asking that you let us know you're coming. You can do that here:
Our Live Stream
Last Sunday we had a couple of technical hitches which meant our service wasn't available online until midday. If you are trying to join in with our service online, and it isn't working, please keep trying, or go back to it later. We're slowly but surely getting rid of all the teething issues, and once it's all set up, it's relativley simple to do. Huge thanks to Jonathan and Amy from Tyne Audio who have been helping us to sort everything out. If you would be prepared to help out with the tech bits please let Ben know.
If you aren't able to join us in church, you can still join in from home. LIVE from 09:45am on Sunday, then available as a video all week.
Morning Prayer
Morning Prayer will now be said at 9am on Wednesdays and you would be most welcome to attend.
Church Open Times
The church will continue to be open on Wednesday morning after Morning Prayer, until 12 noon for Private Prayer - all in the main body of the church.
Parish Office
As we approach the summer holidays the parish office will remain closed as it does normally in August. Any phone messages or emails will be checked regularly and correspondence could be popped through the letterbox in the north door and will be responded to as soon as possible.
100 Club
The 100 Club August winners are: £50 Alan Wolf, £30 Doreen Lunn, £20 Dorothy Clarke
Whitley Lodge Community Spirit
The Committee met last week to see how we can support our local businesses and police force following reports of antisocial behaviour around the shops, golf club and Brierdene. We will be contacting Alan Campbell to offer our support and have considered various ways we can help make the area a safe and welcoming environment for all. Please contact any member of the committee for any further information or discussion. Thanks, Nicola
The Link
The diocesan newspaper "Link" isn’t being printed in August, but you can read it online here.
100 Club
The 100 Club July winners are: £50 Helen Tasker, £30 Alex Allport, £20 Mary Rose
Coffee Morning
Our weekly Zoom coffee morning is on a break now and we'll be back on 1st September!
Gardens
As you may have noticed the hedges have been beautifully trimmed around the gardens. Thank you to the Charltons for a job well done. Also thank you to Roger Windass for filling a brown bin with weeds from the north flower bed and to Marion Oakes for weeding the entrance path. Tom and I have weed killed the pathways and crazy paving so they should start to die off in the next week. I have also instructed a professional gardener to come and work through the gardens. The dead weeds will be cleared, the borders weeded where necessary and all plants dead headed. The shrubs will also be cut back from the walls of the church and drains. I realise that you may feel that the borders look untidy but they are actually full of diverse butterfly and bee friendly plants! Cheryl
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!
Order from Dave Haddock: tel. 0191 2524985, mob. 07976 687973, or email: landman2000uk@yahoo.co.uk. View the Catalogue below.
There is now a new selection of plants in addition to the ones above!
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 the notices.
Contact us by leaving a message on the church office answerphone 0191 251 4216 or email at: office@stmarysmonkseaton.org.uk, or click 'Contact' at the top of the page.
You can take your planned giving envelopes to Church, and there is a retiring collection, but the lockdown has changed the way we think about and plan our giving.
We now have a dedicated page of the website for you to explore.
For your prayers this week:
Your Prayers are requested for
Martin Cooper
Emma Campbell
Olya Bouchard
Jacqui Hamilton
Michael Hampson
Edna Davis
Andrew Harrison
Jonathan Jackman
Rest in Peace
Catherine Connors
Kate Davson
Derek Hayes (Anniversary)
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.
Hymns & Readings from this week's Sunday Service
First Hymn
O sing a song of Bethlehem, Of shepherds watching there, And of the news that came to them From angels in the air: The light that shone on Bethlehem Fills all the world today; Of Jesus' birth and peace on earth The angels sing alway.
O sing a song of Galilee, Of lake and woods and hill, Of him who walked upon the sea And bade the waves be still: For though, like waves on Galilee, Dark seas of trouble roll, When faith has heard the Master's word, Falls peace upon the soul.
O sing a song of Calvary, Its glory and dismay; Of him who hung upon the tree, And took our sins away: For he who died on Calvary Is risen from the grave, And Christ, our Lord, by heav'n adored, Is mighty now to save.
Louis F. Benson
Tune: Kingsfold
First Reading
At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’
He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.’
1 Kings 19: 9-18
Gospel
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’
Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’
Matthew 14: 22-33
Second Hymn
Calm me, Lord, as you calmed the storm; still me, Lord, keep me from harm. Let all the tumult within me cease, enfold me, Lord, in your peace.
David Adam, Margaret Rizza
This picture was chosen by Rachel to illustrate the Gospel reading and sermon:
Painting by Sieger Köder
Service Full Transcript
We send out a full transcript of the service to those who don't have internet access. If you would like to download it, you can do that here:
Remember that News and notices from previous weeks are all available to read by clicking "notices" at the top of the page. Recent editions are also available below: