“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

(1 Peter 1:3)

This week, the sections of the email are:

• Opening Reflection: Hope
• This Sunday: Israel’s Faith (Joshua 3-4)
• Key notices: Baptism in the sea, Carnival, Diocesan Safeguarding Survey,Preparing for St. Luke’s 150^th
• Coming Up: Stewart McCleery Funeral, Vicarage BBQs, Men’s Group BBQ, Sailors’ Church Services
• Interesting Blogs: Helping Children and teenagers build a relationship with God, Creation Care
• Weekly Calendar
• Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, Safeguarding

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

Hope may not be a popular word this week. The hopes of all those who had dared to dream that the English men’s football team might reach the World Cup final for the first time in sixty years – and possibly even win it – were dashed. A sustained Argentinian onslaught brought two late goals to turn an English lead into a crushing defeat. Perhaps it is better not to hope at all?

Yet, Christian hope is different. The World Cup is a struggle between teams of very talented players to see which is the best. In our human struggles, no matter how good we are, we will always come up against someone better. Victory can never be guaranteed. Even Lionel Messi will have to retire from football at some point.

Christian hope, however, is not founded on human strength or ability but on God’s power. The book of Joshua recounts the Israelite invasion of the Promised Land. Was this just a match between two human teams? Could victory be guaranteed? Rahab, the Canaanite, was already convinced Israel would win. In Canaanite mythology, the god who controlled the waters, was the supreme god. She had already heard of the crossing of the Red Sea and concluded that the LORD their God was with them (Joshua 2:9-10). But God did it again. He dried up the river Jordan, so that Israel could cross into Canaan. This gave Israel a confident hope. It confirmed to Rahab that her decision to side with the Israelites was the right one.

As Christians, we look not to the promised land, but to eternal life. Not to victory over others, but death. How can we have a confident hope? We look to Jesus, who crossed from death into resurrected life. We trust not in human power, but in the God who has power over the waters and over death.

Paul Worledge

This Sunday

Israel’s Faith (Joshua 3-4)

This Sunday, we look at Israel’s miraculous crossing of the river Jordan. All the children’s groups are running. This is the last Sunday for our children’s groups before our summer break. It is also a communion service.

Key Notices:

Baptism in the sea

We are planning on having an adult baptism in the sea after the service on Sunday 13^th September. If you are an adult new to faith and have not been baptised (or christened) as an adult or child and would like to consider being baptised on this date in the sea, then please talk to Paul, asap.

Carnival

St. George’s tower is going to be in the Ramsgate Carnival on Sunday 26^th July again. We are looking for a team of at least four people to help pull the model of the lantern tower. The parade sets off early afternoon. If you are able and willing to help, then please let Paul know this Sunday.

Diocesan Safeguarding Survey

As you may be aware INEQE Safeguarding Group have been commissioned to conduct Independent Safeguarding Audits of the Church of England to make sure dioceses and cathedrals are doing all they can to create environments where everyone feels safe, valued and respected. As part of the audit process for Canterbury, INEQE hope to engage with parishioners and members of the parish community through an online survey which will act as a mechanism through which individuals can comment on any matters relevant to the Audit’s focus. The survey is both anonymous (we are not seeking to identify you) and confidential (you will not be identified). We would therefore ask you to be open and honest with your responses. The survey results are received directly by INEQE’s Audit Team and not by the Church of England. The survey is now live and will close at 11.30 pm on Wednesday 2nd of September 2026. Access the Survey.

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.

Coming Up:

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. If you haven’t signed up for 18^th, but want to come then, please email by the end of Friday.

Stewart McCleery Funeral Service

All those who knew Stewart are welcome to join us for this service this Tuesday (21^st July), 3pm at St. Luke’s Church. There will be refreshments afterwards.

Men’s Group BBQ

£10. A chance to relax together over some excellent BBQ food. 6:30pm, Wednesday 22^nd July. See fliers for more information or contact Bruce on 07708 682464.

Sailors’ Church Services

Each Sunday in August, refreshments from 5:30pm, service starts at 6pm. Join us for some lovely services in Ramsgate harbour’s Sailor’s Church. This year the theme will be: ‘Wisdom.’

Interesting Blogs to Share:

Helping Children and teenagers build a relationship with God This is a really helpful resource. Not so much five activities to do with your children, but five ways to relate to them, so that you can best help and encourage them to grow in faith. Read more…

Creation Care

Watch this two minute video from the Church of England about the importance of Creation Care for Christians. Watch Video.

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 19^th July – Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Family Communion (St. Luke’s Church) Joshua 3:14-4:18 – 11:00am-12:00pm

Monday 20^th           

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

Tuesday 21^st             

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

Funeral for Stewart McCleery (St. Luke’s Church) – from 3:00pm

Wednesday 22^nd      

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

Men’s Group BBQ (Mike & Lesley’s House) – From 6:30pm

Thursday 23^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 24^th      

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

Saturday 25^th      

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

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

Sunday 26^th – Eighth Sunday after Trinity

Family Service (St. Luke’s Church) Joshua 5:13-6:23 – 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 be confident in hope,

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

(Vicar, St. Luke’s Ramsgate)