Press Release: Special Concert by The Sheringham Shantymen at St Peter's ChurchDate: Saturday, 21st September 2024Time: Doors open at 7:00 PM, Concert begins at 7:30 PMLocation: St Peter's Church, SheringhamEntry: Free (Retiring collection at the end)Sheringham is in for a musical treat this September as The Sheringham Shantymen return for a special concert at St Peter's Church on Saturday, 21st September 2024. As part of the town’s popular 1940s weekend, this lively event will showcase a captivating mix of traditional sea shanties and folk songs—some dating as far back as the 1740s!Doors open at 7:00 PM, with the concert beginning at 7:30 PM. Entry is free, but a retiring collection will be taken at the end of the evening. The proceeds will be split between St Peter's Church and The Sheringham Shantymen’s fundraising efforts.Attendees can expect not just great music, but plenty of banter and good-natured fun between songs, making it an interactive and enjoyable night for all. Audience participation is highly encouraged, so bring your voices and join in the maritime merriment!In keeping with the theme of the weekend, attendees are warmly invited to dress in their best 1940s attire, making the night even more special. Whether in costume or not, all are welcome to come and enjoy this unique celebration of Sheringham’s rich musical heritage.Come along for a spirited evening of song, history, and community!
Faith and ActionThis Sunday is the first in September and, therefore, the first Sunday since most children have gone back to school and the summer holidays are deemed to be over. The theme for this Sunday certainly presents us with a challenge and demands rigorous engagement. It feels like back to school for us as well! Even the beautiful images of healing and renewal in the passage from Isaiah begin with a rousing call from the prophet: ‘Be strong and don’t be afraid!’ We are being called to action, to prepare ourselves for what God will be doing in our midst.Taking the reading from the Epistle of James, we are given an unambiguous warning against showing favouritism, against being prejudiced against anyone just because they may be less well off or less well dressed than others. It’s a sharply relevant passage in the week of the publication of the report of the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, which found callous disregard for the inhabitants of Grenfell Tower and shocking lack of respect also for the survivors of the fire – a fire which we discovered, could have and should have been prevented. A spokesperson for the residents said they had been treated like ‘second class citizens’. One certainly cannot imagine a block of luxury flats being constructed or maintained in the way Grenfell Tower had been, nor the residents being treated the way Grenfell’s residents had been treated. James is explaining that behaving like this is not an option for a Christian and asks his readers outright, ‘what good is it for people to say they have faith if their actions do not show it?’ What good is it saying, ‘God bless you. Keep warm and well,’ if you don’t give them the necessities of life? He goes on to say that faith without action is dead. The wonderful conviction that it is by faith alone that we are saved, must be put side by side with the understanding that action will accompany our faith if we are true believers.In the passage in Mark, we see Jesus in a strange mood. In his encounter with the Gentile Syro-Phoenician woman, Jesus is downright rude. He responds to her desperate plea for him to heal her daughter by implying that she and her daughter are ‘dogs’ – a term used by the Jews for Gentiles. What’s the matter with Jesus? Is he exhausted and just can’t face another healing? Or is he pushing the woman in order to test her faith in his ability to heal? Her courageous reply results in Jesus telling her that when she returns home, she will find that her daughter is well.We then have a story of Jesus healing a deaf man who also could hardly speak. It is a very physical, down to earth healing, with Jesus putting his fingers in the man’s ears and spitting on his hands before touching the man’s tongue. This man was brought to Jesus by his friends and Jesus always commended the faith of the people who came to him for healing and he responded with powerful, healing action. We need to realise that whatever we believe should be seen in how we behave.Christina Rees
Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.’ (Psalm 146:1-2)Hymn: All people that on earth do dwell...Isaiah 35: 4-7a; James 2: 1-10, 14-17‘God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.’ 1 John 4:16 Let us pray: Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit upon your Church in the burning fire of your love: grant that your people may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel that, always abiding in you, they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service; 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. Amen.Mark 7: 24-37Please see the message from the minister.Let us join in prayer and ask for God’s empowering love to impact: the Church, that all may know and serve the Lord, to give our all in his good service; the world, that peace will reign and that all people will care and share; our neighbours, families and friends, that relationships will thrive; people who are sick or suffering, for the healing power of the Holy Spirit to be known; those who have been bereaved, that all who mourn will be comforted.Let us pray for the coming of God’s kingdom in the prayer that Jesus taught us: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.Hymn: I heard the voice of Jesus say...May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all for evermore. Amen.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
I think I can safely say that none of us has had such an easy life that we never went through any hardships. We’ve all faced difficulties of one kind or another. This helps us later on when we can empathise with other people who are going through a hard time.When I was a child both of my parents worked and so we always had food on the table, but we were not well off. I passed the 11 plus to allow me to go to grammar school, but the compulsory uniform was very expensive. There was a lot to buy, with a different sports kit for every occasion as well as skirts and shirts, jumpers and summer frocks, shoes and hats for summer and winter, plus a mac and a blazer. My family managed to get most of it, some was second hand, but they couldn’t afford to buy the blazer as well. I’ll never forget how embarrassed I was as a 12 year old on a school trip where everyone else was wearing smart blazers, while I was in a tatty mac.Later, when I was married and my children were small my husband worked very hard to support us, doing as much overtime as he could, but it was not easy to make ends meet. I had one of those metal money boxes with lots of slots to save for different bills: rent, electricity, gas, insurance, food etc and each week I would divide his pay packet up so that we would hopefully be able to pay the bills when they came in. There was nothing left over for extras. We couldn’t afford a car or a phone. I remember feeling bad when Chas came home on a hot day and wanted an ice cream from Mr Whippy but we couldn’t afford it. The dread of bills arriving in the post is imprinted upon my soul too, as was the feeling that I was struggling alone, that somehow everyone else was doing OK while I was failing, and that nobody cared.Poverty is relative, as is our ability to live with it. I was able to do the maths, while some struggle to do so. People still need to buy uniforms for their children, and sports kit and shoes, but the children also need phones and computers now so that they can keep up in school. Some parents are on zero hour contracts so they never know whether they will have enough in the bank to cover their direct debits. Foodbanks are more and more in demand as costs increase and pay doesn’t keep up. Many of you are generous and bring in items for the local Foodbank. Sometimes there’s a single item which will make a big difference to somebody’s life, and we can help with that too. When a fridge or freezer or washing machine breaks down, or someone’s shoes are worn out, and there’s no money to repair or replace them, for instance; or when children are sleeping on the bare floor as there’s no money for carpets or beds, when someone homeless needs a rent deposit, a child needs a uniform, or a family a phone. This is where Acts435 comes in. It’s our Harvest Appeal for this year. Named after the Bible verse which says how the disciples distributed the donations to each as they had need, Acts 435 advocates around the country post on line current needs and ask for those who can to donate toward them. Once the full amount has been donated, the basic item is purchased for the people who need it. St Peter’s has recently signed up as a partner, so we will be able to add requests from people in Sheringham to the Acts435 website. Our ministry team will be looking out for people who need help, and we will be able to follow up referrals from the Foodbank. No item comes to more than £200, and every donation however small will help - not only to buy an item which will make a big difference to someone’s life, but to let them know that others do care, that Christian love is living and active. Like a jigsaw puzzle, you will be putting your piece in to help make someone whole. If you read some of the comments made by people who have received help, you will see how much of a difference it makes to their wellbeing.Please checkout the website and make a donation on line to a cause of your choice if you can: https://www.acts435.org.ukWe’re not asking you to give any money directly to us this year. We won’t be able to pass donations on. I know that some of you don’t do anything online, but if you would like to donate, we encourage you to ask someone to make a donation toward one of the causes online on your behalf, between now and our Harvest Festival on 6th October. Alternatively you can post a cheque made out to Acts 435 and send it to them at The Gateway Centre, Front Street, Acomb, York YO24 3BZ. Let them know if you would like it to be applied to a specific type of request, otherwise they will allocate it to the most urgent requests.Please pass the word on to somebody, and ask them to pass it on so that people get to know about Acts435. And please pray for the people who are in need. Let’s make it a harvest of love this year. Thank you for your contribution.Amen.Julie Rubidge, Lay Minister
