The Fourth Sunday of Lent  – Mothering Sunday

A Prayer for Turkey and Syria

Loving God, God of the Earth, of the mountains and the seas,
We lift before you the people of Turkey and Syria,
We pray for shelter for those who have lost their homes.
We pray for comfort for people who are grieving.
We pray for peace for all who are scared and alone.
We pray for the earth to be calm and for the aftershocks to subside.
We pray for those who have already lost so much and now have another disaster to face.
Give them strength and courage. Be their fortress, their rock and their refuge.
In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

A Prayer for Ukraine

God of peace and justice, we pray for the people of Ukraine today. We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons. We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, that your Spirit of comfort will draw them near to them. We pray for those with power over war or peace, for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions. Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear, that you would hold and protect them. We pray in the name of Jesus, the prince of Peace. Amen.

Verse for the Week: Colossians 3:14  ‘Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony’.

Thought: All you need is love’ said the Beatles in 1967. But the question is, can we believe such a simple statement?

 

Readings:  HC: Exodus 2.1-10: Colossians 3.12-17: John 19.25b-27

MP: Psalm 19: Isaiah 43.1-7: Ephesians 2.8-14

EP: Micah 7: James 5

 

Collect for Mothering Sunday: God of compassion, whose Son Jesus Christ, the child of Mary, shared the life of a home in Nazareth, and on the cross drew the whole human family to himself: strengthen us in our daily living that in joy and sorrow we may know the power of your presence to bind together and to heal; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AMEN

Collect for Fourth Sunday of Lent (BCP): Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  AMEN

 

 

SUNDAY 19th March the 4th Sunday of Lent

8am BCP Holy Communion St Mary’s Amersham

9am BCP Matins St Mary’s Amersham in Church

9am CW All-Age Mothering Sunday Holy Communion All Saints’ Coleshill

10:30am CW All-Age Mothering Sunday Holy Communion St Mary’s Amersham (Streamed from Church)

6pm BCP Evening Prayer St Mary’s Amersham (Streamed from Church)

For all access details see below.

In addition, the clergy team will livestream a short time of evening prayer on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 6pm

 

ANTHEM AND VOLUNTARY at St Mary’s Church:

Call to Remembrance (Farrant) & Improvisation

 

YOUTUBE:

Link for this Sunday at 10.30am   https://www.youtube.com/live/eMGZ2eIJWGM?feature=share

For the 6pm service the link is https://www.youtube.com/live/yYgXZ3AdGCY?feature=share

 

PALM SUNDAY

On Sunday 2nd April we will be having our Palm Sunday service at both churches which will include a visit from a Donkey named Denise and her friend Peggy the Shetland pony!

 

A MESSAGE FROM MARK COLDHAM

As you are aware Jo is in hospital at the moment, making steady progress. Please do not contact Jo – she really cannot cope with messages – and has missed some from her family. If you want to make contact, speak to me on 07989 432988. The biggest boost she could have is by making the cake stall really something – so do bake for Sunday .. and purchase lots.

 

CHORAL EVENSONG

All are very welcome to come along to Choral Evensong in St Mary’s Church at 6pm on 26th March.

 

FIRST AID COURSE FOR PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS

We are planning to hold a first aid course for those who often care for young children. This course can only run if we get sufficient numbers, so please speak to Jonny if you would like to sign up. No date has been confirmed yet.

 

MOTHERING SUNDAY ALL AGE:

At both churches we will be having All-Age services for Mothering Sunday on Sunday 19th March. We hope to have children writing prayers to say thank you to mothers everywhere. If your child/children would like to be involved, please speak to Jonny.

 

Childrens Easter Party

Free party open to all children with their adults. Thursday 13th of April. 12:00-2:30 in the church. See flyer for more details. Email stmarysamershamkids@gmail.com to book place / ask questions

 

Easter Party: Help Wanted

I would love some help with the Easter Party. There’s lots of ways in which you can help on the day (and most of them don’t involve interacting with children!) including: setting up the church beforehand, tidying up the church afterwards, making sandwiches, making teas and coffees, hiding easter eggs, helping with craft. Please speak to me if you think you can help. Thanks, Simon.

 

It’s electoral roll time again!

Our electoral roll – literally, our membership list – is due to be updated in time for the APCM meeting on 23rd April. If you are a new member of St Mary’s or All Saints, or have never filled in the form before, please do fill one in. I will be in St Mary’s on Sunday with some available or alternatively, you can download one from the Diocese website here: https://d3hgrlq6yacptf.cloudfront.net/61f2fd86f0ee5/content/pages/documents/e2-application-for-enrolment-electoral-roll.docx  These can either be returned to me at SarahAC3GW@outlook.com or directly to the parish office.  Many thanks, Sarah

 

Lent Course:

This Lent we will be using the Oxford Diocese ‘Come & See’ Lent resources. We will be hosting two groups, one on Tuesday mornings at 10:30am (Church Rooms) and one Wednesday evenings at 8pm at Tim Barnard’s home – 2a Stanley Hill Avenue.  Please let Jonny know if you would like to join one of the groups.

 

Synod Beyond Annual Parochial Church Meetings.

Annual Parochial Church Meetings this year will be holding elections of lay representatives to Deanery Synod for a term of three years.  The last three years have seen us through the Covid pandemic, and leave us heading into a further period within the Anglican Communion following the recent meeting of General Synod.  The role of Synod members and their engagement into the current debates remains important in the life of the church.  We would therefore like to invite those who are thinking of coming on Synod from June to come to the March meeting as a “taster”.  If you are stepping down, then this March Synod will be your last, and our thanks go to you for your time and service.

 

St Mary’s CofE Primary School

Is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of its founding this year, and the Governors are planning to produce a small illustrated book to celebrate the school’s history, its present and its future. Do you have graphic design skills for print, ideally using InDesign? If so we would love to hear from you if you would be willing to help with this exciting project. Please contact Frances Ford fford@stmarysce.bucks.sch.uk or Steve Johnson on sjohnson@stmarysce.bucks.sch.uk.

 

Supper Quiz Evening

Saturday 1st April at 7.15pm to start at 7.30pm, in aid of the Flower Festival in September. It will be held in St Mary’s Church Rooms. There will be a Ploughman’s supper, desserts, prizes and a raffle. Please bring your own drink, glasses will be provided. Tables of 8. Everyone welcome. For tickets please contact Jo Coldham 725284 or Jan Galloway  07711416589 or in church after the 10.15 service. Price £10 a head.

 

FLOWERS

In the past, many of the congregation have donated money for the Easter lilies in memory of a loved one. The price of a lily is £5.00 for each person named. Donations for all the other flowers used at Easter will also be very welcome. To save disappointment, please could we have all donations in by Sunday 2 April as the list has to be finished by the next day and then mounted.  Please make donations to Jo Coldham 725284 (joannacoldham@gmail.com) or Jan Galloway 07711416589 for St Mary’s (all St Mary’s cheques made payable to Jo Coldham, or Bank Transfers ring Jan Galloway please) and Judi Herbert 433534 for Coleshill (please make Coleshill cheques payable to All Saints Church Flower Fund)

 

Parent and Toddler Group:

The next St Mary’s Parent & Toddler group will be on Tuesday 21st March at 1pm – 3pm in church.

 

DONATIONS TO ST MARY’S AND ALL SAINTS’

If you would like to make a donation or catch up with planned giving and have online banking the easiest way is to make a BACS payment – please contact the Parish Office to get the details.

 

A PASTORAL CHAT

Do contact any of the clergy for a chat by phone, facetime or Zoom about anything that is concerning you. Time we have!

 

Church Spring Clean

Saturday April 1st  9am -12noon.

Please come to help scrub, dust, sweep and tidy up our lovely building. Come any time tea/coffee break at 11am (the important bit). Please ring Sue Pounce or Valerie Simmonds.

Many hands make light work

 

HOW TO ACCESS CHURCH SERVICES

SUNDAYS 9am Morning Prayer or HC (BCP) Zoom: Please apply to Rev Tim Barnard for meeting joining details, see the contact list below.

10.30am Holy Communion and Evening Prayers log in via the codes listed

ANOTHER OPTION is to take part in streamed services from the Diocese of Oxford. Going to https://www.oxford.anglican.org/livestream/ will give you both the link to the streamed service and the download of the service order. The Eucharist can also be watched on demand.

 

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS:

For those who are sick:

For your ongoing prayers at home: Pam Atkinson

For those who have died:  Joyce Hewitt, Brian Kenchington, Freddie Moxom, Joan Smith, Derek Williams.

 

 

ST MARY’S CHURCH DIARY

TODAY                        10.30am                     Cake Stall!!

Tuesday          21st      1pm- 3pm                  Mothers & Toddlers

Wednesday    22nd     1.30pm                       Funeral

Thursday        23rd     11am                          Funeral

 

 NAMES AND ADDRESSES:
Rev’d Jonny Rapson Rector 01494 724426 rector@amershamwithcoleshill.org

Jonny’s day off is Friday – please only contact him then in an emergency.
Rev’d Tim Barnard Hon Associate Rector 01494 728478 timbar_uk@yahoo.co.uk

Tim’s days off are Tuesday and Thursday – please only contact him then in an emergency
Rev’d Sue Gill Hon Assoc Rector 01494 451485 susangill01@gmail.com
Sheila Shield Reader 01494 571766 smshield@aol.com
Susan Pounce Churchwarden  01494727674 susan.thomaspounce@btopenworld.com
Valerie Simmonds: Churchwarden 01494 724693 valeriesimmonds@btinternet.com
Petrina Clackett Churchwarden 01494 433044    petrina.clackett@coleshill.net
Howard Pool: Churchwarden 01494 727687  howardpool@hotmail.com
Graeme Coles Treasurer  07703 963990   Treasurer-pcc@outlook.com
Clare Atkinson Planned Giving – both churches: stmarysgiving@btinternet.com
Simon Hollett Children’s Worker – stmarysamershamkids@gmail.com 07926 575851
Steve Poulson Mission Partner 07783 506692 steve@streetkidsdirect.org.uk
Parish Office Dorothy Potter. Church St, Amersham. Bucks. HP7 0DB

01494 729380                        stmarys.amersham@btconnect.com
Safeguarding officers for the Parish

Clare Samuels:  07966 425206 clare@noiinclare.co.uk.
St Mary’s website:  www.stmaryschurchamersham.com
Coleshill website:  www.coleshill.org/village-life/all-saintschurch.html