This Week's News & Notices
Parish Eucharist
Continues to be held each Sunday at 10am. If you feel you would like to get back into coming to church you can do this by clicking on "Join us in Church" below, or by ringing the office and leaving a message. It’s helpful for us to know who’s coming in advance, but if you do just turn up on the day, we will always accommodate you if there is space. We must now wear face coverings so please don’t forget to bring yours with you. You can bring your Planned Giving envelopes to the service too.
You will be aware of the changing rules in our area and beyond to try and stop the spread of Covid. Despite these restrictions we can reassure you that our church will still open on Sundays for the 10am Service and on Wednesdays for Morning Prayer at 9am. We will stay open on Wednesdays until 12noon for Private Prayer. We hope to stay in this pattern for the foreseeable future and if you have any questions at all then please do contact the staff or the office.
Harvest Festival
This week is Harvest Festival, when the church traditionally gives thanks for food and God's providence. We are inviting you to bring in non-perishable foods, which will then be donated to 'The Bay Foodbank' and 'Walking With'. All sorts of items are received with thanks, but North Tyneside charity "Walking With" have given us a list of the items of which they are in most need. Have a look at their list below.
Flowers in Church
The flowers in church for our Harvest Festival are in loving memory of Des and Pam Fletcher from Rod, Lawrence and all the family.
In light of the new local restrictions affecting the North East, we are responding to guidelines as soon as they are published to ensure that the church is as safe as it can be. Acts of worship are permitted. The rules remain unchanged, and we have a full risk assessment and safety measures in place. Certainly it is apparent that any form of socialising before or after the service with those outside your household or bubble is not permitted. It's not an ideal situation, but please move to your seats as soon as you arrive, and do not congregate after the worship has ended. As soon as anything changes, we will let you know, and act accordingly.
If you haven't done so already, RSVP to join us in church this Sunday 27th 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 on YouTube, then available as a video all week on the website on our Services & Worship page.
Live Stream Update
Well last week we had the opposite problem: the music during the distribution of Holy Communion was played through the computer and could be heard on the live stream, but wasn't audible in church. Huge apologies for the silence during that time! We live and learn!
Ben
NHS Covid-19 Contact Tracing App
We take the details of everyone that comes to church (that's why we ask you to 'sign up' to come on Sundays), and we store details for 21 days.
In addition to this we are now encouraged to have outside our church a QR code which you can scan with the new NHS Contact Tracing app. If you have a smartphone you are advised to download the app. This article on BBC News tells you all about it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54250736
If you don't have a smartphone, or yours isn't new enough to support the new app, don't worry, our existing setup is still in place.
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.
Good News from Susana & James!
We just wanted to let everyone know that our beautiful daughter, Zoe, was born on Monday 14th September weighing 7lbs 11ozs. Could we ask that any cards not be delivered to our old address at Alnwick Avenue, as in the Parish Directory, as we won’t have access soon. If you’d like our new address please contact the office who will be able to give the address to you. Susana & James
We send love, congratulations and best wishes to Susana & James and their new arrival from all at St Mary’s!
Thanks
Edna Davis would like to thank everyone at St Mary’s for all the lovely birthday greetings she received for her 98th birthday.
Ben's Ordination
Ben will be Ordained as priest on Saturday 10th October and will preside at St Mary's for the first time on Sunday 11th October at 10am. Do sign up for this Embertide Eucharist.
100 Club
September’s winners: £50 Audrey Searle, £30 Jenny Guild, £20 Andrew Walker.
Mothers' Union
To all our members: the Committee hope you are all keeping well. 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
A request from 'Walking With in North Tyneside'
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.
Plants for Church Funds
Huge thanks to Dave Haddock and his nursery for sending another donation of £130 from the sale of his plants. Dave has donated 30% of his sales from church members to St Mary's. His plants are still available, and you can see his contact details as well as the catalogue in previous editions of the Notices.
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.
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.
For your prayers this week:
Your Prayers are requested for
Martin Cooper
Emma Campbell
Olya Bouchard
Michael Hampson
Jonathan Jackman
Susie Brett
Jennifer Stephenson
Rona Lawrie
Christopher and Clifford Browne
Edna Davis
Rest in Peace
Annie Warden
Cathy Déal
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
Collect
Creator God,
you made the goodness of the land, the riches of the sea and the rhythm of the seasons; as we thank you for the harvest, may we cherish and respect this planet and its peoples, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
A Reading from Psalm 65
1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion;
to you that answer prayer shall vows be paid.
2 To you shall all flesh come to confess their sins;
when our misdeeds prevail against us,
you will purge them away.
3 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there.
We shall be satisfied with the blessings of your house,
even of your holy temple.
4 With wonders you will answer us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
O hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
5 In your strength you set fast the mountains
they are girded about with might.
6 You still the raging of the seas,
the roaring of their waves
and the clamour of the peoples.
7 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth
tremble at your marvels;
the gates of the morning and evening sing your praise.
8 You visit the earth and water it;
you make it very plenteous.
9 The river of God is full of water;
you prepare grain for your people,
for so you provide for the earth.
10 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges;
you soften the ground with showers and bless its increase.
11 You crown the year with your goodness,
and your paths overflow with plenty.
12 May the pastures of the wilderness flow with goodness
and the hills be clothed with joy.
13 May the meadows be covered with flocks of sheep
and the valleys stand so thick with corn
that they shall laugh, shout for joy and sing.
Psalm 65
The Gospel according to Luke
He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Luke 12:22-30
Offertory Hymn
We plough the fields, and scatter
the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered
by God's almighty hand:
he sends the snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes, and the sunshine,
and soft, refreshing rain.
All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above;
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
for all his love.
He only is the maker
of all things near and far;
he paints the wayside flower,
he lights the evening star;
the winds and waves obey him,
by him the birds are fed;
much more to us, his children,
he gives our daily bread. [Refrain]
We thank thee then, O Father,
for all things bright and good,
the seed-time and the harvest,
our life, our health, our food.
Accept the gifts we offer
for all thy love imparts,
and, what thou most desirest,
our humble, thankful hearts. [Refrain]
Matthias Claudius
Translator: Jane M. Campbell
Communion Hymn
God in such love for us lent us this planet,
gave it a purpose in time and in space:
small as a spark from the fire of creation,
cradle of life and the home of our race.
Thanks be to God for its bounty and beauty,
life that sustains us in body and mind:
plenty for all, if we learn how to share it,
riches undreamed-of to fathom and find.
Long have our human wars ruined its harvest;
long has earth bowed to the terror of force;
long have we wasted what others have need of,
poisoned the fountain of life at its source.
Earth is the Lord's: it is ours to enjoy it, Ours, as God's stewards, to farm and defend. From its pollution, misuse, and destruction, good Lord deliver us, world without end!
Fred Pratt Green
© 1973 The Hymn Society (admin. by Hope Publishing Co.)
Communion Hymn
Come, ye thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest-home:
all be safely gathered in,
ere the winter storms begin;
God, our Maker, doth provide
for our wants to be supplied;
come to God's own temple, come;
raise the song of harvest-home!
All the world is God's own field,
fruit unto his praise to yield;
wheat and tares together sown,
unto joy or sorrow grown;
first the blade and then the ear,
then the full corn shall appear:
grant, O harvest Lord, that we
wholesome grain and pure may be.
Then, thou Church Triumphant, come,
raise the song of harvest-home;
all be safely gathered in,
free from sorrow, free from sin,
there for ever purified
in God's garner to abide:
come, ten thousand angels, come,
raise the glorious harvest-home!
Henry Alford
Prayer after Communion
Fill us, good Lord, with your Spirit of love; and as you have fed us
with the one bread of heaven, so make us one in heart and mind, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
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