Tuesday 11 May 2021

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

It was wonderful to see so many of you this evening for the discussion on Understanding Anglicanism. Thank you again to David, and also to Archana and James for their contributions. It is good for us all share together, to be able to listen to one another and learn from one another.

On Thursday we celebrate the Ascension of Christ. There will be a Eucharist in church at 10am. If you would like to attend, please ring or email the office to book a seat, by tomorrow at 11am. The service will also be available online.

There will be NO Lectio meeting on Thursday. Those who usually come are encouraged to attend the Ascension Day service instead.

I look forward to seeing many of you at church on Sunday. There are still a few seats available, so if you would like to come please contact the office by 11am tomorrow morning. If you are not able to come in person, please do join the online service, which can be found here from Saturday evening. Thank you to Hector, Martin and Art for their hard work in producing these services, week by week.

Thy Kingdom Come

This is a prayer initiative (now in its 6th year) supported by all the major Christian denominations, which encourages us to pray especially during these days between Ascension (13th May) and Pentecost (23rd May). Christians in over 170 countries are taking part and it is supported by Pope Francis, Archbishop Justin Welby and many others. We are encouraged to pray for familiy members, work colleagues, local communities, and people in need, and to pray especially for those who do not know the love of Christ.

Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, says:
'Thy Kingdom Come is about prayer: praying for those on our hearts, praying for those who don't know Jesus to find him, praying for our Church as we seek to be simpler, humbler and bolder. I pray for you too.'

There are a wealth of resources to help us to pray

• Prayer in the work place
• Fun prayer activities for families and children
• We are especially encouraged to pray for 5 people who do not know the love of Christ.
• There are videos we can watch for each day. These are very short, only 2-3 minutes. The first one is called 'Jesus' and is by Archbishop Cottrell:
• Prayer Journal
• Prayer Cards
  I will be giving out simple prayer cards on Ascension Day and on Sunday to encourage us to pray every day. The prayers are at the bottom of this email.

Men's Group: NO meeting this Sunday

Sunday Coffee Time
Every Sunday at 11.30am. We meet together, via zoom, to share reflections on the readings and sermon. Ask me for the Zoom link.

Online Summer Fete
The online summer fête is now open for orders.
If you have any problems placing an order or need to change an item after sending the order, please contact the events team on Event@stursula.ch

Prayers

Thy Kingdom Come Prayer
Almighty God,
your ascended Son has sent us into the world
to preach the good news of your kingdom.
Inspire us with your Spirit
and fill our hearts with the fire of your love,
that all who hear your Word may be drawn to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen. Thy Kingdom Come, O Lord

A Prayer of St Benedict

O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate upon you,
and a life to proclaim you,
through the power of the Spirit
of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen. Come, Holy Spirit

With love in Christ,
Helen