Resurrection!

It was wonderful to be joined by so many people for our Holy Week services.
If you were one of them, whether you were baking Simnel cake or making masks at the Good Friday workshop, or seeing the Great Paschal candle get lit during the darkness on Saturday night, I hope you were touched, just as I was.
The next few weeks, on Sundays, we will be considering the outworkings of the Resurrection: okay, it happened, but what does it actually mean?
Meanwhile, there are other exciting lifestages to pass through. Baby Noah will be baptised on Sunday and Michael and Sal are getting married on Saturday.
More sadly, Geoff Florentine's funeral will be on Thursday April 3rd at 11am in Church. Geoff died a fortnight ago, after a long struggle with cancer. He will be greatly missed.
Fr Robert

There are 52 weeks in a year, there's only one Holy Week

This is the most important week of the Christian year.
This is when we remember the events of one extraordinary week, two thousand years ago, when a man who claimed to be closer to God than anyone else in human history entered the holiest city in the world to the sounds of acclaim, left carrying a cross for his own death, and then finally rose again, appearing to those who loved him most.
It's the story that means there is new life for us all, even in life's darkest moments; it means that that there will be a new life beyond this one, a new life that is lived in the Spirit. It's a life of which we get glimpses on this earth, but we will only know fully when we get there.
This is Easter.
Join us at any or all of our services.
We will hold a special meal with a eucharist called an "Agape" meal on Wednesday both at lunchtime (12.30) and in the evening (8.00). Here, we have a simple supper and over the course of that meal we also recall the events of the Last Supper, sharing bread and wine, blessed by a priest.
Then on "Maundy" Thursday, at 8pm, we remember the Last Supper again, in particular Jesus' action of washing his disciples' feet. The service finishes in complete silence, and people are welcome to stay in church, praying with Jesus, just as he asked his disciples to do in the Garden in Gethsemane.
On Good Friday, the Church is split into two. In one half, there are meditative readings and then a service of memory, including Veneration of the Cross, between 12 midday and 3pm.
In the other half, there's a children's activity workshop between 12.15pm and 3pm. Do come along.
On Holy Saturday, we have a service at 8pm in the evening, where we recall what happened when the women found the empty tomb. There are fireworks afterwards.
This moment is completed on Easter Day with a jubilant eucharist, celebrating Jesus bursting from the tomb. It's new life and life in all its fulness. That's at 10am. Come early as it's one of our most popular services. Afterwards there's an Easter egg hunt in the garden (Fairtrade!)
We look forward to seeing you there.

it will break your heart. It will lift your soul.

Fr Robert

Lent draws closer to Easter

Our Lent course is drawing to a close (the fifth and final week is this coming week) and we're contemplating with Jesus the approach of Holy Week.

You may have seen our church magazine, Steeple People. The front cover is a photo of the sculpture to the right, by the late Roy Ward, a member of our congregation.

We'll be thinking about the passion with a screening of Jesus Christ Superstar next Saturday (14th March) at 7.30pm and a discussion.

The same day, earlier, we're having our marriage Preparation Course for those getting married just after Easter.

It will be great.

And from there, we're coming to Palm Sunday and on...

Do join us.

It's a terrible tale but one that lifts you too.

It will break your heart and it will lift your soul.

Fr Robert