“Have I not told you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged; for the LORD your God will be with you, wherever you go.”

(Joshua 1:9)

This week, the sections of the email are:

• Opening Reflection: Joshua and a new future
• This Sunday: Joshua’s Courage (Joshua 1:1-18)
• Key notices: Preparing for St. Luke’s 150^th, Dick and Caroline Seed Update, Venezuelan Earthquake appeals
• Coming Up: Churches Together in Ramsgate prayer breakfast, Friends of St. George’s Art Show, ACTS: Update Evening, Vicarage BBQs
• Interesting Blogs: J.D. Vance’s Spiritual Memoir, Speaking in Tongues
• Weekly Calendar
• Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, Safeguarding

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

“Have I not told you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged; for the LORD your God will be with you, wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

What are you worried about for the future? Even bringing it to your mind may tense your shoulders, quicken your heart, or shallow your breathing.

So how do we face change well?

Our Sermon series on Joshua begins with a huge change in the opening sentence of Joshua 1 where we are told of the death of Moses. Moses was the only leader an entire generation had known, and now Joshua had to lead a sometimes rebellious people into imminent war.

The book of Joshua inspires us with three ways to be courageous through change:

1. Listen to the words God speaks over you
2. Meditate on Scripture
3. Listen to encouragement from your Christian community and speak encouragement back to them.

God does not want us to be anxious about the endless possibilities of the future but rather wants us to be free to live in the present, aware of our eternity with God through the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Reflect: What future “what-if” do you need to hand to the God who is already there?

Pray: Lord, remind me my strength comes from You. Help me leave tomorrow in Your hands and live faithfully today. Amen.

Bethany Keenan

This Sunday

Joshua’s Courage (Joshua 1:1-18)

This Sunday we begin our series proper on the book of Joshua, with Beth Keenan preaching for the first time since going on maternity leave. All our normal children’s groups are running.

Key Notices:

Preparing for St. Luke’s 150^th

We are still looking for people to form a team to help plan and run celebration events for our 150^th anniversary, which we will celebrate on 18^th October. If you are interested in helping out in any way, please talk to Peter Erlam or Paul.

Also, it would be great to collect 150 ‘Anni-verse-aries’ by then. So, please do grab a card at the back of church, write down your favourite verse and a couple of sentences about why it matters to you.

Dick and Caroline Seed Update – July 2026

Copies of the latest update from Dick and Caroline Seed are available on the mission desk or download here.

Venezuela Earthquake Appeal

It has been tragic to see and hear what has happened to the people of Venezuela because of the devastating twin earthquakes just over a week ago. If you want to give to support their recovery, you can do so either through: Tear Fund or The Red Cross.

Coming Up:

Churches Together in Ramsgate, Prayer Breakfast

9-10am, St. Ethelbert’s Church in Ramsgate.

Friends of St. George’s Art Show

This will run from 10^th to 19^th July, 2-5pm, in St. George’s Church. If you want to enter a painting, drawings, prints or mixed media contact Elaine on e_hartnell@yahoo.com or Janet on 01843 852780.

ACTS: Update Evening

Monday 13^th July, 7pm, St. Philip’s Church, Palm Bay, CT9 3JJ.

Join us for an evening of prayer, thanksgiving and updates about the work of ACTS. As well as a time to catch up with the ACTS team, Abi, Charlotte, Rhodri and the trustees over a cuppa and a slice of cake.

Vicarage BBQs

These will take place on Saturdays 18^th and 25^th July, 5-8pm. Invitations and sign-up sheets are now available at the back of the church. If you can’t make the date that you have been allocated, then please feel free to sign up for the other date.

Interesting Blogs to Share:

JD Vance’s Spiritual Memoir

In this review of J D Vance’s book, Communion, the writer acknowledges the criticisms of Vance, whilst also seeing some helpful insights into what is motivating some men to return to faith. Read more… (10 mins)

 

The Nicene Sessions

This is a new podcast series that explored the Nicene Creed one line at a time with Biblical experts. Find out more…

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 5^th July – Fifth Sunday after Trinity

Family Service (St. Luke’s Church) Joshua 1:1-18 – 11:00am-12:00pm

Monday 6^th           

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

Tuesday 7^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

Wednesday 8^th     

Gardening Group (St. Luke’s Church) – 10:30am-12:00pm

Thursday 9^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 10^th     

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

Saturday 11^th      

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

Sunday 12^th – Sixth Sunday after Trinity

Family Service (St. Luke’s Church) Joshua 2:1-24 – 11:00am-12:00pm

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.

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

Our website is now updated with the latest information about Safeguarding and links to the Diocesan form for reporting concerns and accessing training.

Training

If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities you should take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years. If you hold a role connected with vulnerable adults or children and young people, then you will also need to take the Foundation Module. Once you have completed your training, please forward that certificate to James, our administrator, (office@churchramsgate.org) so that we can keep records of who has done the training.

Finally, let’s hand the future over to God,

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)