Wednesday 30 June 2021

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Over the last few Sundays, it has been wonderful to welcome back to church several people we have not seen for some time. If you would like to come this Sunday please, if possible, contact the office before 11am tomorrow. After that you can call me on 077 495 7419. If you book a seat and then are unable to come please let me know, so I can offer the seat to someone else. We will be reviewing the distancing rules and the numbers of seats we can fit in church at our council meeting next Tuesday.

As usual, you can also follow the Sunday service online. We are all very thankful to Hector, Martin and Art for making this possible.

Everyday Faith: Bringing an Object to Church

• I invite you this Sunday, 4th July (first Sunday of the month) to bring an object to church which represents some aspect of your daily life which is significant to you at the moment. It might be something related to work, or family life, or a photo of someone you want to pray for. These objects remind us that we bring the business, the hopes and fears of our daily lives with us when we come to worship, and, as we leave, we return to those daily concerns with a renewed sense of God's grace sustaining us in the midst of them.
• Let me clarify that we are not praying for the objects! The objects are simply a symbolic tool to remind us that every part of our lives belongs to God.
• There is no obligation to bring an object; please only do so if you find it helpful. You might prefer simply to imagine an aspect of your daily life that is important to you at the moment.

Family Service, 4th July, 5pm
This Sunday we will hold our family service via Zoom. This is a short service which includes a reading, prayer, short talk and song. The service is particularly for young children but we also welcome others to join us. If you would like to join us, please let me know and I will send you the Zoom link.

Henry Hope's ordination
Many of you will remember Henry Hope with affection and gratitude. Henry will be ordained on Saturday 3rd July at 3pm and he asks for our prayers. You can read his ordination card here.
If you would like to watch the ordination service, you can follow it here.
Please pray for Henry, his training Vicar, and the people of Hexham Abbey whom Henry will serve. We pray for God's grace to work in and through Henry, that he might be a blessing to those he serves.

Many ordinations happen at this time of year, which is called 'Petertide', as we celebrate St Peter and St Paul on 29th June. I always find it encouraging to think of Peter. Jesus saw Peter's potential, but he also knew his weaknesses; and despite his failures, Jesus continued to call him to follow and to serve him. We are all called to serve God in different ways despite our weaknesses and failures.

St Peter

Impulsive master of misunderstanding,
You comfort me with all your big mistakes;
Jumping the ship before you make the landing,
Placing the bet before you know the stakes.
I love the way you step out without knowing,
The way you sometimes speak before you think,
The way your broken faith is always growing,
The way he holds you even when you sink.
Born to a world that always tried to shame you,
Your shaky ego vulnerable to shame,
I love the way that Jesus chose to name you,
Before you knew how to deserve that name.
And in the end your Saviour let you prove
That each denial is undone by love.

(Malcolm Guite)

With my love in Christ,
Helen