with All Saints Saxtead
3 announcements - from the Bishops, from Mark and from the Parish Reps
Read more on IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR FRAMLINGHAM AND SAXTEAD
SHARING CHRIST
Welcome to Framlingham Churches Together Thoughts and Prayers 20.03.20
Be Strong and of Good Courage was the message God gave to Joshua after the death of Moses. Joshua’s task is happily very different to ours and the task he had causes us all sorts of questions.
But the message is a good one as individuals, as a nation and as part of the world community, we face the worst medical nightmare for many decades and it naturally worries and concerns us. The advice we are receiving will affect how we live, how we shop, what we do and even how we pray together. We have just heard that the Church of England will be suspending all public worship and other denominations may do similarly. The one certain thing is that the national advice will change and so will life and none of us find that easy or comfortable. We all hope this will not last for too long.
We face the challenges better if we do it together and reassure each other, talk with each other and whenever the opportunity comes, laugh together
Churches Together members are feeling that and want to share the hope that sharing Jesus’ love gives and to share in the commitment in the town to try and help people who may be ill or self-isolating for safety or just wondering what all this is about.
Some of us are working with the Town Council and the Hour Community to bring practical relief through collecting food and medicines – and the good news is the method for that is being worked on now and there will be more on the Council and Church websites soon.
As the Churches we are providing opportunities for a chat or a prayer. For obvious reasons this may have to be by phone rather than by visits but none of us as yet knows what being inside for so long may mean. However quiet or shy we are we may need to talk to someone! So there are some contacts below.
St Michael’s will be open 9-5 – please do go in and take some space for prayer. If you have a topic you wish to pray for please put it on one of the slips on the far side of the back of Church where there is a space for prayer. Any written prayer will be prayed again by the Prayer and Healing Group and by me. St Clare’s is open 10-12
Laughing probably can’t be on demand, but supporting each other is a Godly task and the Churches are willing to offer that and to share prayer. Be Strong and of Good Courage and together with help from God we will get through this strange and unnerving period.
Read more on Thoughts and Prayers from Framlingham Churches 20.03.20
MOTHERING SUNDAY Message from our Archbishops 20.03.20
A Notice from Our Archbishops 13th March 2020
Special Notice in advance of the next newsletter:
Read more on CORONAVIRUS AND SERVICES AT ST MICHAEL’S AND ALL SAINTS
A Letter from our Rector, Mark: February - from Christmas to Lent! At the beginning of this month we have the lovely Christingle Service - please note it is a family service with Sing Praise! and with Saxtead joining us so the service will be at 11am not 9.30. It marks the feast of the Presentation when Jesus as a baby was taken to the Temple and is traditionally the last bit of the Christmas celebration. The Christingle service lightens up our February and we hope there will be lots of us to enjoy it. The 26th February is Ash Wednesday and we are into Lent. Happily but by accident St Michael’s and Saxtead’s plans for Lent all coincide with the Bishop’s Lent appeal and by the end of the month there will be more information. But the PCCs had agreed that the book for Lent should be the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book: “Saying Yes to Life”, a delightful and thought-provoking exploration of the biblical story of creation in which God himself said “Yes” to life. This comes recommended by the Archbishop as well as the Bishops and we will use it for Lent Study Groups and for private reading. The Diocese has developed a number of challenges and resources and the it is the subject of the Bishops’ Lent Appeal this year - more will follow on this. How we care for the environment is perhaps the most important world political and humanitarian topic and it is good that we have a resource to help us think about it in the light of our faith. We need to be challenged to think about what is truly happening and what our part in finding solutions is. The story of God’s care and loving creation in Genesis 1 seems a good place to begin. Mark.
