Bulletin for Easter Sunday 5th April 2026
HAPPY EASTER! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
A series of sonnets written by Malcolm Guite that Simon has found helpful and moving:
Maundy Thursday:
Here is the source of every sacrament,
The all-transforming presence of the Lord,
Replenishing our every element
Remaking us in his creative Word.
For here the earth herself gives bread and wine,
The air delights to bear his Spirit’s speech,
The fire dances where the candles shine,
The waters cleanse us with His gentle touch.
And here He shows the full extent of love
To us whose love is always incomplete,
In vain we search the heavens high above,
The God of love is kneeling at our feet.
Though we betray Him, though it is the night.
He meets us here and loves us into light.
Good Friday:
See, as they strip the robe from off his back
And spread his arms and nail them to the cross,
The dark nails pierce him and the sky turns black,
And love is firmly fastened onto loss.
But here a pure change happens. On this tree
Loss becomes gain, death opens into birth.
Here wounding heals and fastening makes free
Earth breathes in heaven, heaven roots in earth.
And here we see the length, the breadth, the height
Where love and hatred meet and love stays true
Where sin meets grace and darkness turns to light
We see what love can bear and be and do,
And here our saviour calls us to his side
His love is free, his arms are open wide.
Holy Saturday:
Here at the centre everything is still
Before the stir and movement of our grief
Which bears it’s pain with rhythm, ritual,
Beautiful useless gestures of relief.
So they anoint the skin that cannot feel
Soothing his ruined flesh with tender care,
Kissing the wounds they know they cannot heal,
With incense scenting only empty air.
He blesses every love that weeps and grieves
And makes our grief the pangs of a new birth.
The love that’s poured in silence at old graves
Renewing flowers, tending the bare earth,
Is never lost. In him all love is found
And sown with him, a seed in the rich ground.
Easter Sunday:
He blesses every love which weeps and grieves
And now he blesses hers who stood and wept
And would not be consoled, or leave her love’s
Last touching place, but watched as low light crept
Up from the east. A sound behind her stirs
A scatter of bright birdsong through the air.
She turns, but cannot focus through her tears,
Or recognise the Gardener standing there.
She hardly hears his gentle question ‘Why,
Why are you weeping?’, or sees the play of light
That brightens as she chokes out her reply
‘They took my love away, my day is night’
And then she hears her name, she hears Love say
The Word that turns her night, and ours, to Day.
The alternative collect prayer for Easter Sunday:
God of glory, by the raising of your Son you have broken the chains of death and hell: fill your Church with faith and hope; for a new day has dawned and the way to life stands open in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
SERVICES
Sunday 5th April - Easter Sunday
St Andrew's: 10.00 am Holy Communion
St Thomas': 10.00 am Holy Communion
St James': 11.15 am Holy Communion
St Peter’s: 11.15 am Holy Communion AND 4.00 pm Church 4 All
Wednesday 8th April
10.30 am Team Holy Communion Service at St Andrew’s
Sunday 12th April
St Andrew's: 10.00 am Morning Prayer
St Thomas': 10.00 am Morning Prayer
St James': 11.15 am Morning Prayer
St Peter’s: 11.15 am Morning Prayer AND 4.00 pm Church 4 All with Communion
Bible Readings
Sunday 5th April: Acts 10:34-43, John 20:1-18
Sunday 12th April: Acts 2:22-32, John 20:19-end
Sunday 19th April: Acts 2:36-41, Luke 24:13-35
Sunday 26th April Team Service: Matthew 13:1-9 & 18-23
News
Parish Breakfast 10am Saturday 11th April at St Andrew's Church HallAll very welcome - but please do let Jimmy know for catering purposes (07779 143 176). The guest speaker is still to be announced. Suggested donation towards breakfast expenses is £5.
From Geoff Walker re St Andrew’s Electoral Roll
The Revision of the Electoral Roll (ER) for St Andrew’s Church starts from Sunday 8th March up to Sunday 5th April. Copies of the current ER are available to view in Church. For anyone not on the ER and who would like to be included, and is eligible, application forms with an Electoral Roll Privacy Notice, are enclosed in a return addressed envelope to be returned to the church no later than Sunday 5th April. There is a RED mail Box at the back of church for the envelopes. From Sunday 12th April up to the Annual Parish Church Meeting following the Morning Service on Sunday 10th May 2026 an updated version of the ER incorporating all changes, notified in writing, will be published and available to view in church, for presenting and approval at the Annual Meeting. Any new applications/changes received after the 5th April will not be included in the ER until after the Annual Meeting. Everyone already on the Electoral Roll does not have to submit another application form, but it is important to inform the Electoral Roll Officer (Geoff Walker) in writing of any changes as soon as possible, at any time.
Confirmation
There will be a Deanery Confirmation service on Tuesday 28th April at 7.30pm. If you have not been confirmed and would like to be, or at least would like to know more about it, then please do chat to Ian or Simon about this.
Parish Giving Scheme
The new system is now available to access. Should you at any time require information, please contact your parish representative, or contact PGS directly by Post: 76 Kingsholm Road, Gloucester, GL1 3BD; Phone: 0333 002 1260 or
1271; Email: [email protected]; Website: https://www.parishgiving.org.uk/
Weekly Giving Envelopes at St Andrew’s Church:
For anyone who has Weekly Envelopes and is near to requiring a new box for 2026 please let Geoff Walker know 0151 526 5366 / 07724881207 Thank You.
Stamps
A request from St Thomas’ for your used stamps, as they are collecting them to support training guide dogs. Please do pass any you have in to your church, and the clergy will ensure they get to St Thomas’. Thank you.
Request for Wool Donations - also stuffing material for toys & pillows
Wool donations for our craft and chat group wld be very gratefully received! Whether whole or part balls of wool, any colour etc. Also, at the moment, donations of stuffing material for toys & pillows would be much appreciated. If you are able to drop off to the craft & chat group between 12.30 and 2pm on Thursdays at St James’ Church Green Lane, that would be great, but collection can easily be arranged. Please contact Pat Dunbar by text message on 07795147109 or email at [email protected] Thank you!
WEEKLY EVENTS
Craft and Chat: every Thursday 12.30pm until 2pm at St James in the fellowship room. Knitting, crocheting or any craft, you are assured of a very warm welcome so please do come and join us. Please note that this will be back on Thursday 9th April. Pat
Hot lunch, tea and cakes every Thursday afternoon at Melling Tithebarn……12.00pm to 2.00pm. A plate for donations will be available. You are assured of a very warm welcome so please do come and join us.
MONTHLY EVENTS
St Peter's Tea and Scones: everyone is welcome to join us for tea and scones on the first Friday in every month from 2pm-3pm. The next one will be Friday 1st May. Expect lots of friendly chats and live music by our resident Michael with his keyboard.
Prayer & Worship - monthly get together
Each month we are going to be gathering for a time of prayer & worship together at St James Church, Green Lane. This will be a relaxed and informal time, but led and with songs, reflection on passages of scripture, pointers / themes for prayer etc. This is following on from the Prayer Course that a number of us did through Lent & Easter time, but is absolutely open to everyone, not just those who came to that course. The next of these will be on Wednesday 15th April, 7.30pm and we would be delighted to see you there. Please do speak to Rev. Simon or Claire Sherman for any further information.
Bereavement Support: at St Andrew’s Church. Further enquiries, and if there are any particular requests for bereavement support, from anywhere across our 4 parishes, please contact St Andrew’s Parish Office 0151 531 8972.
Other notices
Bulletin items for inclusion
Please send an email to [email protected] stating ‘for bulletin’ in the email ‘subject’ box / email title by midday Thursday of the week you’d like items included.
Foodbank: the Foodbank is based at St George's United Reformed Church on Northway opposite Iceland, on Tuesdays 10.00am-12.00 noon.
Tins, packet foods and toiletries are always useful. They will gratefully receive donations from 10-12 on Tuesdays at St George’s URC on Northway (easiest access is via the car park on Larchwood Avenue). Alternatively please do drop any donations off before Tuesday on the vicarage doorstep at 23 Green Link. Thank you.
CONTACT DETAILS
Please contact us…
If you know anyone who would like to receive this email
If there is anyone who needs prayer
If you know anyone who needs a phone call
Contact details:
Revd. Ian Hopkins 07914 505437 or [email protected]
Revd. Simon Elliott 07919 464348 or [email protected]