“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,

bearing with one another in love.”

(Ephesians 4:2)

This week, the sections of the email are:

• Opening Reflection: Patience
• This Sunday: Livestream link
• Key notices: Electoral roll, Life Groups, 150^th Newsletter, Thanks
• Coming Up: Life in Tudor Ramsgate, Annual Parochial Church Meeting
• Interesting Blogs: Third Places; Faith, hope and autism
• Wider Church: The latest from Dick and Caroline Seed
• Prayer Requests
• Weekly Calendar
• Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

This week we are returning to our 10 part series on the Fruit of the Spirit. We started by looking at the list of characteristics as a whole as Paul gives it in Galatians 5, then we looked in turn at the first three of the nine traits that make up the fruit of the Spirit, the godly character that the Spirit works to form in us. Those first three were: love, joy and peace. Over the next few weeks we will be considering the next three in the list, starting this week with patience.

When I look at the fruit of the Spirit with a small group, I often ask people which of the characteristic they feel is their weakest. The most common answer is patience. Perhaps that is not surprising. We live in a world where we can order almost anything more or less instantly on our phone or even through our smart speaker. In the past you would find things out by going to the library and trawling through books. Now you just ask google.  We live in an instant world, where we don’t expect to wait for long and so we are not trained in patience.

In addition our world has become one of constant distraction, which means our attention span has shrunk. In the early nineteenth century, people would sit and listen to speeches that lasted for hours. Today, people watch 30 second videos on TikTok. We are losing the capacity for sustained engagement, let alone endurance in the face of hard times.

All of this matters, because real engagement with others, with God, even with ourselves takes time. Our lack of patience is leading to a deficit of relationship. We need to spend time in personal prayer and Bible study and in attending church if we are to grow in our relationship with Jesus. We need patience with the people in our lives, by being slow to anger and sticking with them, when it can be difficult and hard. We need patience, so let’s pray that God will grow it in our lives through the work of His Spirit.

                                                Paul Worledge

This Sunday

Patience (Romans 12:9-21)

This week we are back to the fruit of the Spirit and the characteristic of patience. All the children’s groups are back after their three week Easter break, and we will also be having Holy Communion.

Key Notices:

Electoral Roll – Please fill in a form if you are not yet on it!

The electoral roll is a list of church members who have the right to vote at our annual meeting. Last year we had to create a new roll, and many people would have joined the electoral roll then. If you did not join last year or have started coming more recently, then you can now join the new roll, if you are 16 or over, have been baptised and have either been attending for six months or live in the parish. Please pick up a form at the back of church and return to James or fill in the online form. Forms must be completed by 29^th April.

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 now more groups available! They meet at the following times:

• Monday evening (two groups)
• Tuesday afternoon
• Wednesday morning
• Wednesday evening
• Thursday morning

There is also a youth life group on a Sunday afternoon.

Pick up the latest St. Luke’s 150^th Newsletter – Out today

This issue celebrates the St. George’s day events last week, shares some of the responses to ‘anni-verse-ary’ and gives key updates on Vision 2030.

Thanks from Mark Ogden, Church Warden of St. George’s

I wanted to express thanks to the many from St Luke’s worshipping community who turned up and turned out on Sunday 19th for what was a huge day in the calendar. I’m sure others would want to express the same sentiments. It was a good, colourful and interesting event and opportunity for collective witness.

Coming Up:

Life in Tudor Ramsgate

On Saturday 16^th May, 3pm, Margaret Bolton will be giving a talk about Tudor Ramsgate. It will include insights into school life, the work of a housewife, the jobs people did, visits by important people and the experiences of family life. Tickets will be £5 with all proceeds going to the St. George’s Restoration fund. Tickets available online, via the St. George’s website or on the door.

Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM)

The Annual meeting is on Sunday 17^th May after church. The Annual Report is now available on the website or at the back of church. There will be elections for two Churchwardens, two Deanery Synod reps and four PCC members. Please consider standing or encouraging others to stand.

Wider Church

Dick and Caroline Seed

You can find the latest newsletter from Dick and Caroline Seed on the mission desk at the back of church or online.

Interesting Blogs to Share:

Third Places

By third places, we mean places which are neither the home nor the work place, but a different kind of place where people gather for conversation, commonality and conviviality. In our society they are in decline as we become increasingly individualised, isolated and polarised. Can the church become a more effective third place? Read more… (10 mins)

Faith, hope and autism

This is a review of a book on autism and the church. Do we understand how autistic people experience church? What gifts can they bring to the wider community? Read more… (5 mins)

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 26^th April – Fourth Sunday of Easter

Family Communion (St. Luke’s Church) Romans 12:9-21 – 11:00am-12:00pm

Monday 27^th     

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

Tuesday 28^th        

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 30^th    

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 1^st May  

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

Saturday 2^nd   

CTiR Prayer Breakfast (St. Lawrence Church) – 9:00-10:00am

Sunday 3^rd – Fifth Sunday of Easter

Baptism Service (St. Luke’s Church) Ruth 2 – 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@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.

Finally, let’s live lives of service and courage.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)