Sandra’s Message for Sunday 6th October

Dear Friends,
I love to watch the stars at night. It is just so amazing to look up, in a place with no light pollution and see the vastness and the wonder of the night sky.  A few weeks ago we were able to see some amazing moonlight – we used to call it a harvest moon. If you use social media you will have seen lots of amazing pictures.

Thousands of years ago the Psalmist David did just that. He looked up at the sky and this was his response.
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them. You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour.”  See Psalm 8.

Jesus spent his life here on earth showing His care for people, whether they were somebody or nobody. He loved the unlovable, reached the unreachable, taught the unteachable and offered each one a new relationship with their Heavenly Father.

Jesus explained to his disciples: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God who sent me, and from finishing his work. Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends? Look around you! Vast fields of human souls are ripening all around us, and are ready now for reaping.” See John 4: 34-35

Jesus was saying that there are people all around us whose hearts are hungry and ready for God, if only we will open our eyes and see them with His eyes.  That’s the challenge for us at harvest and indeed throughout the year. “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields.”

Will we respond by Making Jesus known, Being His light? In so doing we will grow in Faith.

With love, Sandra

Update on St Mary’s Church Roof Works

This first phase of work on the roof has been completed, however, this has highlighted two further problems. Firstly, with the box gutter on the roof between the two main pitches. The gutter, which has been previously repaired, is old and cracked and is allowing rainwater to leak in underneath it. Secondly, the tiles on one slope of the side aisle roof are slipping because the nails have rusted and the timber battens are decayed; the felt under the tiles is old and rotten and no longer water tight. This is a fourth section of the roof that needs replacing.

Obviously, this is not good news. The PCC have decided that the gutter and the fourth section of the roof need to be replaced now; we don’t have a lot of choice, and this extra work is going to cost £16,500 + VAT.  We will be seeking to cover the cost of this from our reserves, but it will make a big dent in our finances.

Going forward the current quote to replace the other two sections of the roof is in the region of £25 -£30,000. The PCC will need to consider the funding and timing for this work.

Our Mission Statement

Our Mission Statement is “to grow in faith together through the love of God, be empowered to make Jesus known and inspired by the Holy Spirit to be His light in our communities” and this underpins all our activities within our benefice.

 

Mid Week Morning Prayer & Holy Communion

We have mid-week services available on three days:

On Mondays: Morning Prayer will be at 9.15am in St Mary’s Walton followed by Coffee, Cake & Chat (3Cs) from 10am to 12pm

On Wednesdays: Holy Communion will be at 9.15am in St Martins, Trimley followed by Café 10 from 10am to-12pm

On Thursdays: Morning Prayer will be at 9.15am in St Philip’s Community Hub, then the Hub is open from 10am to 1.30pm