“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!”
(Philippians 4:4)
This week, the sections of the email are:
- Opening Reflection: Joy
- This Sunday: Livestream Link and service information
- Key notices: Churches Together Prayer Breakfast, Financial Update
- Coming Up: Men’s Group Games Night, Easter Cracked, Welcome Service for new Archbishop of Canterbury, Romp through the Old Testament
- Interesting Blogs: How to pray for the Middle East, An Iranian perspective on the conflict
- Weekly Calendar
- Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
How can you tell someone is a Christian? Jesus says, “by their fruit you will recognise them” (Matthew 7:16) and a key characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. So shouldn’t joy be a key sign that someone might be a Christian? At last Saturday’s confirmation service, there was a palpable sense of joy, especially among the candidates as they publicly declared their faith in Jesus. Joy often is a mark of Christians.
But how can we maintain our joy? Is Paul’s command to, “Rejoice always!” realistic? Clearly to rejoice always cannot mean always acting with a happy or cheerful demeanour. Elsewehere, Paul tells us to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15) just as Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35). In a similar way the Psalms are full of expressions of pain and suffering.
Yet, the Psalms frequently move on from acknowledging the struggles of life to focus once more on God and rejoice in the salvation he brings. This is how we are to rejoice, not by denying our pain, but seeing that God is above and beyond our pain and will bring us through. That is why Paul’s command is not simply to rejoice, but to ‘Rejoice in the Lord!’ We may not have much to be happy about in our lives, but we can always rejoice in who God is and what he has done for us and will do for us.
So, as Christians we can find joy that goes beyond the circumstances of our present experience. It is this joy rooted in our relationship with God, that enables us to stand out from the world in a way that is deeply attractive and contagious.
How do we cultivate this joy? By focussing on our reason for joy. By gathering together to praise God and celebrate what he has done for us in Jesus.
Paul Worledge
This Sunday – 8th March
This Sunday, we continue our series on the Fruit of the Spirit, looking at the characteristic: Joy. Join us for a joyful service. All the children’s groups will be running.
Key Notices:
Churches Together Prayer Breakfast
St. Luke’s will be hosting the Churches Together Prayer Breakfast at St. Luke’s Hall on Saturday 7th March, 9am to 10am. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Financial Update
St. Luke’s Parish ended last year owing £16,324.87 in Parish Share, the money we are asked to give to cover the cost of having a vicar, training new clergy and other support services from the Diocese. This was 25% of what we were asked to give.
Positively, the request for people to consider their regular giving in the autumn led to a £3,799.75 per year increase in committed annual giving. We are grateful to everyone who took the time to increase their giving.
Clearly, there are still financial challenges ahead and once again, the church is heading for a deficit on its running costs. If you are not already a regular giver, then please consider giving in a planned way. The easiest way is to use the Parish Giving Scheme website.
Coming Up:
Men’s Group Games Night
The next event is a Games night at St Lukes, Church Hall on Thursday 12th March. Please let Bruce know if you are going.
Easter Cracked
St. Luke’s will be hosting 80 Year 6 pupils from St. Lawrence College and Newlands School on the morning of Tuesday 24th March for this interactive workshop run by ACTS.If you can volunteer to help host and run the workshop (setting up from 9am and tidying up until about mid-day), then please let Paul know.
Welcome Service for new Archbishop of Canterbury
The service, led by the Bishop of Dover, will bring together individuals and church groups from across our county highlighting the rich and varied communities which we serve. This will be the main opportunity for the whole Diocese to formally welcome and show our support for our new Diocesan Bishop. Saturday 28th March, 5:30-6:30pm. Canterbury Cathedral. Click here to book a free ticket.
Romp through the Old Testament
An interactive day of exploration, new insights and fun with Rev. Dr. Sue Woan. Free! (donations welcome) Bring your own lunch – drinks provided. Saturday 18th April, 9.30am – 3.00pm. Newington Free Church, St. John’s Avenue, Ramsgate. To book a place contact Robin Plant: robin.plant@protonmail.com.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
How to pray for the Middle East
This 3-minute video from Tearfund, suggests ways that we can pray for the situation in the Middle East. Watch…
An Iranian Perspective on the Conflict
Steve Dew-Jones who works for a human rights organisation documenting Christian persecution in Iran gives a personal perspective on the US attacks. Read more (4 minutes, note this was written last Saturday)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 8th March – The Third Sunday of Lent
Communion Service (St. Luke’s Church) Psalm 100 – 11:00am-12:00pm
Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm
Monday 9th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 7:30-9:00pm
Tuesday 10th
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 12th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Cafe4All (St. Luke’s Church), Coffee and Chat for all – 10:00-11:30am
Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 11:30am-1:00pm
Men’s Group Games Evening (St Luke’s Hall) – 7:00-9:00pm
Friday 13th
Play and Praise (St. Luke’s Hall) – 10:00-11:30am
Saturday 14th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Sunday 15th – The Fourth Sunday of Lent
Mothering Sunday (St. Luke’s Church) 1 John 4:7-12 – 11:00am-12:00pm
Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm
Life Groups
Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.
Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:
- Monday evenings
- Tuesday afternoons
- Wednesday mornings
- Wednesday evenings
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@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, let’s rejoice in the Lord always!
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)
St. Luke's Church Ramsgate 