“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(1 Thessalonians 1:3)

Why do you do what you do? It is not an easy question to answer. We all have mixed motives for our actions in life, but some will be more important to us than others.

So, what drives your life? A desire to seek pleasure or comfort for yourself? A belief that life will be much better and more secure if only you had more money? Wanting to please others? To look good in front of the crowd? To please a loved one, a boss or someone you admire? Perhaps it is a desire to feel that you have made a success of your life or that you have achieved something meaningful or lasting?

As Paul writes to the baby church in Thessalonica, he starts by giving thanks for what is driving their actions: faith, love and hope. These new Christians have found a new reason for living: Jesus Christ. Knowing that they have been saved through his death and resurrection, they have re-oriented their lives to live for God and to live like Jesus. Their faith has not just changed the way they think it has led to a life of action that is prepared to put in the hard graft and to keep going despite the challenges.

For us this raises two questions: “Does our faith lead to action?” and “Are our actions motivated by our faith?” The more we can honestly say, ‘Yes’ to both these questions, the closer we are to being true disciples of Christ.

Paul Worledge

This Sunday

True Discipleship (1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)

This week we have all our normal children’s groups running. We also welcome Sarah Hammond from Safe Families and begin a series on 1 Thessalonians.

Key Notices:

Churches Together Prayer Breakfast at St. Luke’s

This coming Saturday 5^th July, from 9am to 10am, St. Luke’s will be hosting the Ramsgate Prayer Breakfast. We will meet in the hall. If anyone would like to offer to help with providing breakfast, then Paul would welcome their offers of help!

This Year’s 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 7^th 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 Sunday 6^th July.

 

Safe Families

This week Sarah Hammond will be telling us about the work of Safe Families, which is a Christian charity that has recently received funding to work in Ramsgate and offer support to struggling families. Check out their website.

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

Upcoming Events:

Beth’s Ordination as Priest, 28^th June, 2:30pm & 5pm

Beth will be being ordained as Priest at Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday 28^th June at 2:30pm. People are welcome to come to the Cathedral to support Beth. It is advisable to arrive at the Cathedral by 2pm.

You can watch the service on this livestream.

After the service we will have a celebratory Bring & Share BBQ in the church field at St. Luke’s from 5pm.

Thanet Light Orchestra Concert, Sunday 29^th June, 3pm

Join Thanet Light Orchestra for an afternoon of Summer Music from musicals, opera and dance. Featuring a new composition by an Afghan refugee. Tickets are £10 on the door and £8 online, under 18s are free. Buy online tickets.If anyone can help with offering refreshments or welcoming people to the concert, then please let Paul know.

Jean Hann’s Funeral – St. Luke’s, Monday 30^th June, 3pm

This will follow a committal at Thanet Crematorium at 2pm, to which people are also welcome to attend.

If you cannot make the service in church, then you can watch the livestream.

Donations at the funeral will be split between RNLI and The Theatre Shed, a theatre group for children of all abilities based in Chesham, that her grandchildren were a part of.

If anyone would like to share memories of Jean at the funeral please speak to Paul.

Women’s Share and Care:

A few dates for your diaries:

• 4th July at Beth Keenan’s. Fun and games , nibbles and drinks. Bring and share. Evening.
• 12th July at Beth Patterson’s. Pimms and food in the garden. 6.30 to 8.30. Bring and share food and a garden chair if you have one.

Vicarage BBQs

We are planning to hold vicarage BBQs on 5^th and 26^th July, 5-8pm. Please grab your personal invite from the back of church and sign up to say on which date you are planning to come.

Opportunities to Serve:

CAP Debt Centre Manager Job

Some local churches are sponsoring a new Thanet Christians Against Poverty Debt Centre and they are looking to hire a new Centre Manager. If you are interested check out this job description: Job Description

Can you help with tours of St. George’s tower and crypt?

Tours of St. George’s crypt and tower are proving very popular. If you can help as part of a team with these tours, then please contact Jemima Brown: regenerationofficer@stgeorgechurchramsgate.uk . The planned tours coming up are 11am to 3:30pm on Saturdays 8^th June, 5^th and 12^th July, 9^th August and 13^th and 20^th September.

Volunteers for the Community Meal

Can you join a superb team of helpers on some or all Tuesday afternoons and evenings to help serve the Community Meal at St. George’s Church Hall to 30 to 50 guests? The meal runs between 5:30-7pm, but volunteers need to be available from 5pm and if possible to help cook or set up earlier on Tuesday afternoon. If you are interested, then please see Tonya and Brenda.

Interesting Blogs to Share

Nicky Gumble Talk – The Healing of the Nations

Opening the Leadership Conference 2025, Nicky makes a rallying call to the Church, to resist the spirit of the age and to embrace the Spirit of Jesus. Drawing from Revelation 22:1-2, Nicky speaks about God’s plan to use His Church for the healing of the nations and he encourages us all to lead with integrity, courage and a Kingdom mentality as we share the unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ. Watch Video (45 minutes)

Vaughan Roberts – Restoring Biblical Sexuality

Speaking in Seoul, at the Global Lausanne Conference, Vaughan addresses the challenge presented by the sexual revolution throughout the world and calls on the Church to hold firmly to God’s never changing Word while also showing humility and pastoral compassion. Watch Video (15 minutes)

Finally, let’s live our lives out of an orientation of faith, love and hope.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 29^th – Second Sunday after Trinity

Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), 1 Thes. 1:1-10, 11:00am-12:00pm

Thanet Light Orchestra Concert (St. Luke’s Church) – 3:00pm

Monday 30^th   

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Jean Hann’s Funeral (St. Luke’s Church) – 3:00-4:00pm

Tuesday 1^st July     

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 3^rd  

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 4^th  

Play and Praise (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 10:00-11:30am

Saturday 5^th       

CTiR Prayer Breakfast (St. Luke’s Church Hall) – 9:00-10:00am

Vicarage BBQ (St. Luke’s Field) – 5:00-8:00pm

Sunday 6^th – Third Sunday after Trinity

Family Service (St. Luke’s Church), 1 Thes. 2:1-12, 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.