“When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.”
(John 19:26-27)
We can trace the origins of Mothering Sunday to the 16th Century, when people returned to the church they were baptised in (their ‘Mother’ Church) on the fourth Sunday of Lent. As time went on, it became a day when servants of households and estates could return home to visit family members, and the day started to become more associated with family bonds as well as it’s religious roots. Whatever your experiences with Mothering Sunday, knowing the day is at its heart based on the values of community, reuniting with loved ones and remembering your connections with your ‘mother’ church are great and inspiring things to be reminded of.
The communities we surround ourselves with can be places where we can mother others and be mothered through being nurtured, cared for, guided and prayed for all through God’s love whoever we are and whatever our family roles. Let’s be praying that we can deeply understand God’s love for us today as we share that love with others.
Beth Keenan
Sunday Service, 30th March, 11am
It’s Mothering Sunday and we will be having an interactive All Age service giving thanks for mothers in general and hearing what Jesus said to his mother as he hung on the cross.
Don’t forget the clocks go forward early Sunday morning – don’t be late for church!
Electoral Roll – 60 signed up so far…
The electoral roll is the list of members of St. Luke’s parish who have the right to vote at our annual meeting. Every six years, the roll has to be renewed from scratch and 2025 is one of those years. So, if you consider yourself a member of St. Luke’s then please complete an electoral roll application, whether you were on the electoral roll before or not. To qualify to be on the electoral roll, you must be baptised, over 16 and either live in the parish of St. Luke’s or have attended St. Luke’s for six months or more. It’s quick and easy to fill in an online form: apply to be on the electoral roll. If you are not sure which parish you live in then you can check via this website.
Youth and Children’s Pastor
St. Luke’s is now advertising for a Youth and Children’s Pastor. You can check out the details on the website. The deadline for applications is on 31st March. Please pray that we can find a really good candidate for this important role. Find out more…
Have you a ‘listening ear’ or a ‘welcoming heart’?
We are looking to recruit volunteers to be trained to provide an offer of a listening ear and prayer after the church services. If you are interested, then please fill in this short online form.
In addition, we would like to create a team of mentors to support new people when they join St. Luke’s. If you are interested in this role, then please fill in this short online form.
Reports for our Annual report
If you run a small group in the church, it would be great to include a short report about what your group did during 2024. Please send Paul a paragraph or two by 31st March at the latest.
Titanic Journey – 2-4pm, Sat. 5th April, St. George’s
Local historian, Bob Pryor presents, ‘My life with Titanic’. Tickets are £5 in advance and available onlineof £7 on the door.
St. Mark’s Spring Fare – Sat. 5th April, St. Mark’s
St. Mark’s are holding a Spring Fayre on Saturday 5th April, 10:30am-2:30pm. Admission is free. If you want to have a stall then please contact either Zena (07727 087313) or Helen (07974 123048). The cost for a stall is £10.
Men’s Group Evening Ramble – Thursday 10th April, 7pm
Meeting at 7pm at the West Cliff Boating Pool. 7:45pm return from Cliffsend Garage. A free event. Join us, there and back, or just one way. Transport can be offered for those living at a distance or only wishing to walk one way. For those who want to, we will aim to stop for a drink on the way back to the boating pool (cost not included). For more information contact Bruce Stokes, 07708 682464.
British Sign Language – Free Classes
We will starting a little class on Thursday mornings to learn British Sign Language for anyone who’s interested. It will be quite basic, just to learn a few everyday words and letters. It will be starting on the 10th April, and will be every OTHER week from 11 to 11.30 am.
Tower and Crypt Tours – Can you help?
Please contact Jemima on either 07971782477 or via email regenerationofficer@stgeorgechurchramsgate.uk if you are able to get involved with helping to host the tours.
They will be on during the summer to coincide with the Yard Sales and Heritage Open Days and we are also doing a couple of dates in May as well. The dates are Saturdays: 17th May, 24th May, 14th June, 12th July, 9th August, 13th September and 20th September.
Easter Cracked Wednesday 26th March
Thank you to all those who helped to make this such a great event!
St. George’s Day Parade
In preparation for the St. George’s Day parade on 27th April, GB Carnival are looking for donations of clean tin cans and plastic tubs. You can drop off your donations at the Carnival Club in St. George’s Hall 5-7pm every Wed. or at Community Soup in the church from 12 -2pm every Wed. and Sat.
Links to Share:
Is Good Liturgy the new weapon in a world of Distraction
There is some evidence that traditional liturgy is becoming more attractive in our constantly distracted world. Read more… (10 mins)
Why are young evangelicals embracing more traditional churches?
This may be based on a more USA context, but it is an interesting read. Read more
Finally, let’s give thanks to God for our mum’s and learn to share the love!
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 30th – Mothering Sunday (Fourth Sunday in Lent)
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), John 19:25-27, 11:00am-12:00pm
Monday 31st
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:15-9:30pm
Tuesday 1st April
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
Study Group (Lyndhurst Road) – 2:30-4:00pm
Wednesday 2nd
Study Group (Langdale Avenue) – 10:00-12:00 noon
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:30-9:30pm
Thursday 3rd
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Cafe4All (St. Luke’s Church), Coffee and Chat for all – 10:00-11:30am
Friday 4th
Play and Praise (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 10:00-11:30am
Saturday 5th
CTiR Prayer Breakfast (Newington Free Church) – 9:00-10:00am
Titanic Talk (St. George’s Church) – 2:00-4:00pm
Sunday 6th – Fifth Sunday in Lent
Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), John 12:1-8, 11:00am-12:00pm
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.
St. Luke's Church Ramsgate 