Dear Brothers and Sisters!
What a joy to welcome so many people to St Margaret’s this last week for the Patronal Flower Festival! Many thanks to everyone who has stewarded and provided refreshments. It’s been wonderful to see the beauty and creativity of the displays, each with their unique interpretation of the Olympic theme, many using the same flowers but in ingeniously different ways. Using the resources at our disposal to achieve more than we ever thought possible is also the theme of this Sunday’s readings. The feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle, apart from the resurrection, to be recorded in all four gospels. We may feel that our resources as a Mission Community in terms of people and finances are limited, but we can be encouraged that if we faithfully offer what we have, God is able “to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3.20).
Every blessing
Maggie
(Please note Maggie will be on leave from 27th July to 5th August)
Please send all contributions for the newsletter to Gill by the end of Thursday and material for A Church Near You to Tony Raven: [email protected]
Services and calendar for the week
Saturday 27 July
10am-5pm…Flower Festival…St Margaret’s
Sunday 28 July
10am…Family Friendly Holy Communion…St Margaret’s
10am…Morning Worship…St Luke’s
12noon…Baptism…St Luke’s
6.30pm…Evensong…St Margaret’s
Monday 29 July
10am…Take 5…St Margaret’s
7pm…Compline… Zoom
Tuesday 30 July
9am…Morning Prayer…St Margaret’s
10.30am…Coffee and Chat…St Luke’s church rooms
Wednesday 31 July
10am…Morning Worship…Zoom
11am…Summer Study Group…St Margaret’s
2-4pm…Open Church…St Luke’s
6.30pm…PCC…St Margaret’s
Thursday 1 August
10am…Mini Messy Church…St Margaret’s
3.15-4.15…Summer Study Group…St Luke’s
Friday 2 August
9am…Morning Prayer…St Margaret’s
12.30pm…Funeral…St Margaret’s
Saturday 3 August
8am…Prayer breakfast…St Margaret’s
Sunday 4 August
10am…Eucharist…St Margaret’s
10am…Eucharist…St Luke’s
The Zoom links and meeting IDs for all the Zoom events are on our pages on ACNY (A Church Near You)
St. Luke’s church is now open on Wednesday afternoons between 2.00 and 4.00.
All are welcome...
To look around
To sit quietly for a while
To light a prayer candle
To pray.
Bookings - St. Margaret’s bookings has been taken over by Caryll Ingerslev. Contact: [email protected]
News and Notices
Summer Study and Fellowship groups
We meet on Wednesday 31st July for our final “Holy Habits” session in the social area of St Margaret's Church at 11am (tea/coffee from 10.40). All are welcome (even if you haven’t been before-each session stands alone). We plan to run a new course in the autumn.
St Luke's are reading the same book, starting on Thursdays 3-15 pm - 4-15 pm, meeting in their Church rooms and also serving tea/coffee. All are welcome.
Flower Festival at St. Margaret’s – Thursday 25th - 27th July
If you haven’t already, do come down to St. Margaret’s and enjoy the amazing displays. Refreshments available and proceeds to be split between Bread of Life and St. Margaret’s church funds.
Wednesday 7th August, 3 – 5pm – There will be Cream teas in the garden of Ken and Sandra Greedy at 29 Southbrook Road, Countess Wear. Tickets are £5 and can be obtained from Ken, Sandra or Brian Bolt, or phone Ken and Sandra at 01392 271458 or e mail – [email protected]. All proceeds will go to St. Luke’s Church Funds. We are hoping that the weather will be suitable to sit in the garden, not pouring with rain, as happened for the Desserts Alfresco evening.
Please find the August newsletters for St. Margaret’s and St. Luke’s attached.
Exmouth Food Bank
Supplies We Are Short Of This Month – July 2024
T ins of baked beans & spaghetti hoops
Cereals
Stir in pasta /pasta bake sauces
Tins or packets of soup
Tinned fruit
Peanut butter
Jars of jam
Coffee
Tea bags
Packets of biscuits
Shampoo & conditioner
The Exmouth Foodbank urgently needs bags for life/large plastic bags to enable people to carry their food parcels home. Thank you.
Many thanks for your support. We simply couldn’t do this without you!
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
For further information email: [email protected] 07787758511
Prayers
For those who are ill or in need of our prayers:
Roger Fogwill, Lucy, Pauline, Jill and Adrian, Michael, Kirsten, Chris Whitehead, Fay, Anne, Tony Bradford, Marlene Gardner, Pam Wormald, Mary, Peter, John Heal, Rosemary Henry, Gail Miller, Carol Walker
Housebound or in nursing/care homes:
Alfred Wonnacott, Janet Mutter, Georgina Lear
Please pray for Anne Plested supporting the work of Bethlehem Bible College, and Ben and Katy Ray in Tanzania, St. Luke’s CMS mission link.
Anniversaries
Mollie Cann, Elsie Williams, Timothy Orpen, Sven Herzog
Recently departed
Peter Gould
Gospel Readings for the coming week
Sunday 28th July John 6: 1-21
Monday 29th July Matthew 13: 31-35
Tuesday 30th July Matthew 13: 36-43
Wednesday 31st July Matthew 13: 44-46
Thursday 1st August Matthew 13: 47-53
Friday 2nd August Matthew 13: 54-end
Saturday 3rd August Matthew 14: 1-12
Sunday 4th August John 6: 24-35
Collect and reading for Sunday 28th July
Almighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be the light and life of your church: open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
John 6..1-21Feeding the Five ThousandAfter this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Jesus Walks on the WaterWhen evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.