“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”
(1 Thessalonians 2:8)
This week, the sections of the email are:
- Opening reflection
- This Sunday
- Key notices
- Over the summer
- Beyond the summer
- Interesting Blogs
- Weekly Calendar
- Online Forms
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8)
In 1982 Bananarama, a female pop trio, released a hit called, It Ain’t What You Do, It’s the Way That You Do It. Something of that senitment comes across in what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians.
When Paul and his team came to the city of Thessalonica, they came with a mission: to share the good news or gospel of Jesus Christ. They felt driven by God to travel from city to city letting people know about Jesus’ death and resurrection and the resulting salvation and new life available to those who put their trust in him. Their mission was tough, but not in vain.
In his letter to the church birthed in the successful mission to Thessalonica, Paul does not just remind them what he did, but more importantly he stresses the way that they did it. In particular, he says that as well as sharing the gospel with them, they also shared their lives. The gospel offers people a share in the family of God. So, to share the gospel authentically requires authentic relationships with those with whom we are trying to reach. This matters not because we want to be successful in our mission, but because we delight to love the people God calls us to reach.
So, Paul reminds them how hard they worked for them, how much they cared for them and how authentically they lived out the Christian life among them. For Paul, sharing the gospel was an important thing to do, but the way that he did it mattered even more. If we are to fulfill God’s mission today, we need to delight to share not just the gospel, but our lives as well.
Paul Worledge
This Sunday
Dare to Share (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
We will be considering how Paul and his team went about sharing the good news of Jesus in the early days of the church and what lessons we can learn today. This week is a Holy Communion service. We have all our normal children’s groups running.
Key Notices:
Thank You for Last Weekend
Last weekend was a busy weekend at St. Luke’s, with Beth’s ordination and celebratory BBQ on Saturday, the TLO concert on Sunday and Jean Hann’s funeral on Monday. All the events went really well thanks to the large team of volunteers and helpers that stepped up to make it work. So, a big thank you to all those who helped out and especially those who co-ordinated the different teams.
Let us know your availability…
We are grateful to the large team of helpers who make sure that our services run smoothly each Sunday. If you are already on one or more of these teams (or if you want to offer to be on one), then we have developed a new way for you to let us know your availability, that we hope will make drawing up rotas much more efficient. Simply go this web pageselect the month and fill in the form. It should take 2 minutes (plus the time it takes you to find your diary). Please ensure you select all the roles you help out with. We would be really grateful if you could fill in the forms for August and September as soon as possible so we can put together the next set of rotas. Any tips on how to improve the form, then please let us know.
Sunlight Serenade
The Thanet Light Orchestra concert last Sunday was not just a wonderful performance, but we raised £355 for St. Luke’s.
Thanet Christians Prayer Diary
Copies of the July and August prayer diary are available at the back of church or here.
Small Groups
We have four small groups that meet regularly for Bible Study, prayer and mutual support. If you are interested in joining one of them, then please contact one of the people below:
- Monday evenings: Trevor Clarke – 07899 318952
- Tuesday afternoons: Mark Ogden – 07896 111159
- Wednesday mornings: Vanessa Shingles – 07969 207887
- Wednesday evenings: Mike Turner – 07971 601364
Over the Summer
Small Groups
If you are interested in connecting with one of our small groups over the summer, please contact:
- Monday evenings: Trevor Clarke – 07899 318952
- Tuesday afternoons: Mark Ogden – 07896 111159
- Wednesday mornings: Vanessa Shingles – 07969 207887
- Wednesday evenings: Mike Turner – 07971 601364
Children and Youth on Sundays
We have plans for more interactive fun games for the children and young people attending church over the summer. If you can sign up to help on one week from 20th July, please do so on the list at the back of church.
Art Exhibition – Now on at St. George’s Church until 13th July
Visit St. George’s to view a lovely display of local artwork. Find out more…
United Prayer Meeting
Join Christians from around Thanet to pray for our Island: Queen’s Road Baptist, 13th July, 6-7:15pm.
Beyond the Summer
The Bible Course – Coming in September
Starting on Monday 8th September, 7:30pm in St. Luke’s Hall, we will be running The Bible Course (new edition), a great opportunity to understand how the Bible fits together as a whole. It is ideal for both those new to the faith and those who have been Christians for years. This will last for eight weeks and replace the small groups for September and October. Find out more…
Harvest Appeal
Each year St. Luke’s raises money for a specific charity or project as part of our Harvest Service. Last year we supported Christian Aid’s Gaza appeal. We are aiming to decide on this year’s project at our PCC meeting on 7th July and would welcome suggestions of charities or projects to support. The charities should be Christian run charities, that are seeking to help the poor in another part of the world. If you have a charity you would like to nominate, then please send Paul the name and website of the charity and a brief explanation of why we should support them by this Sunday 6th July.
Kent Women’s Convention, 4th October, Canterbury
The Kent Women’s convention is to be held in Canterbury this year. 4th October, St. Mary Bredin. Tickets cost £10. See flier in church. Book early! Find out more…
Interesting Blogs to Share
The Secret to workplace evangelism
Sharing your faith at work can be a scary prospect. We often worry about saying the wrong thing, giving offence, or being caught out by a tricky question we can’t answer perfectly.
But the truth is, evangelism in the workplace isn’t about having all the answers or delivering a perfect speech. Instead, it’s about having good conversations – listening well to the people around us, engaging with them as unique children of God, and being open and honest about our own experiences. Read more and watch…
Responding to ‘the Quiet Revival’
There is a lot of talk about the recent report from the Bible Society about a possible ‘Quiet Revival’ among younger people. If that is happening, how should we respond? Robin Ham has no less than ten suggestions. Read more…
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 6th July – Third Sunday after Trinity
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), 1 Thes. 2:1-12, 11:00am-12:00pm
Monday 7th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Tuesday 8th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Christ Church Toddlers @ St Luke’s (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 9:30-11:30am
Thursday 10th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Cafe4All (St. Luke’s Church), Coffee and Chat for all – 10:00-11:30am
Sign Language Class (St. Luke’s Church) – 11:00-11:30am
Friday 11th
Play and Praise (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 10:00-11:30am
Saturday 12th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Vicarage BBQ (St. Luke’s Field) – 5:00-8:00pm
Sunday 13th – Fourth Sunday after Trinity
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), Luke 10:25-37, 11:00am-12:00pm
Small Groups
We have four small groups that meet regularly for Bible Study, prayer and mutual support. If you are interested in joining one of them, then please contact one of the people below:
- Monday evenings: Trevor Clarke – 07899 318952
- Tuesday afternoons: Mark Ogden – 07896 111159
- Wednesday mornings: Vanessa Shingles – 01843 592857
- Wednesday evenings: Mike Turner – 07971 601364
Online Forms
Under the ‘Contact’ tab on the website, there are now three forms that you can use to help us in managing the church:
- Events Application Form. Use this if you are organising a church event that needs a church room booked, advertising or ticketing.
- Submit a Notice. Use this if you want to ask us to include a prayer request or other notice in the church notice sheet or email.
- Maintenance Reporting Form.Use this to report any non-urgent issues with our buildings or grounds.
St. Luke’s Website
- What’s On – a page which lets you know what is happening this week and gives information about upcoming events.
- Notices – You can read the latest notices on this page.
- Sermons – Read a transcript of a recent sermon or watch the YouTube version recorded at St. Luke’s. You can also listen to the sermon through the podcast website castbox.
Safeguarding Training
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@stlukesramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, let’s dare to share our faith and our lives with those God has called us to.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)
St. Luke's Church Ramsgate 