Dear friends, As we approach Trinity Sunday we are reminded that God is, and always has been, three in one. It is a strange idea to try and comprehend and, despite many hours in lectures and reading theology books, I never really feel I can wrap my head around it fully. However, setting aside the nitty gritty complexities (and many accusations of heresy over the years) I think there is something very instinctive about it, if we take it at face value. It means that God is in a loving and sharing community even aside from the relationships we might have with God and one another. In means that the root of all things is in community and also that the source of all life is not in conflict but in unity. I think we have so much to learn from this belief that God is three and yet one. We all long for community, for people to support us, to celebrate with us, for people who will look out for us. Many of us find this in family and friends and sometimes in work or school settings however, our hope at St Martin’s is that we could also find these things at church. Over the winter we began to form a new community on Thursday lunch times as our café became a place for people to share their lives. Feeling inspired by this and by Café Connect that our volunteers ran pre-COVID, a small group of us have been meeting to plan a new iteration of this valuable space. Café Reconnect will be a place for people of all ages, and all stages of life, to come together from across our community to find new friendships, meet one another and find community in our often lonely world. It will be a café for everyone whether you want a quick bite and a chat or a long cup of tea with an old friend. We hope that through our pop-up café spaces over the summer and our ongoing lunchtime cafés beyond that, Café Reconnect could become a special place in our community. The way that we understand God being in agreement and in unity should challenge us in all sorts of ways, calling us to be people who disagree well, seek to serve one another and always being open and curious about the beliefs of others. Church is a great place to think about all these things (and hopefully to begin to practice them in all our lives) so whether you come every week or haven’t been for a while you are invited to come and explore faith together. Let’s be people that ask questions, wonder aloud and try to find better ways for us to be in this world, in community, in love and kindness and in unity. Our Sunday services this week will centre around this theme of Trinity as we gather at 8:30 for our spoken Holy Communion and at 10:30 for our All Together service for all ages. You are welcome! Grace & peace, Rev. Phil
Dear friendsOn Sunday 12th May Bishop Viv confirmed 30 people in South Bristol 9 of whom were from our own church here at St Martins. Do join me in continuing to pray for Phoebe, Poppy, Moses, Stanley, Amy, Paula, Claire, Hazel and Sarah.She suggested that the celebration of these people - diverse, multi generational, different stories that brought them to faith - were like an early Pentecost, the Holy Spirit moving in a visible and "felt" way. I was privileged to be seated at the front so could see the expression on Bishop Viv's face as she confirmed each candidate. There was always joy, but I noted a particular tenderness in her expression as she laid her hands on the heads of the oldest men and women there. Here were people in their 70's and 80's who have discovered the love of Jesus in the later stages of their lives, and it was beautiful.The reminder that the Holy Spirit blows where it chooses, and all we need to do is be open to receive it, is a of course what we are celebrating this week as it is the festival of Pentecost. We will gather at 8.30am and 10.30am for our Holy Communion services. For those newer to church, you'll notice all of the church fabric is changed to vibrant colours of red and orange. You'll notice my stole (a gift from the first church) is not only bright red but has symbols of fire and doves. Pentecost is a wonderful festival. bridging the gap between the story of Easter, and our ongoing journey as disciples. Do please come along - you're invited.As well as our gatherings on Sunday morning, do please remember the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday at 12, and please pray for all of those standing for roles within the church.With all good wishesBecky
Dear Friends, I hope you are well and enjoyed the (mostly) sunny bank holiday weekend! We finally seem to be catching up with the spring and I keep hearing from people that they are busy planting vegetables, tidying their gardens and enjoying the longer evenings, watching insects and bats alike. It does seem to me that the wildlife in our city is less than it once was, but I suppose we can pray (and plant) to try to coax life back into our increasingly concrete world. Life at St Martin’s feels quite spring-like and full of bustle too as 9 people have been preparing for the confirmation service this coming Sunday. The bishop will confirm a total of 30 people – so many that she joked about taking up the old tradition of delivering the prayers from horseback as she rode along the long line! Becky and I, along with Chris and Jes, have thoroughly enjoyed our conversations with the young people and adults who are exploring this next step on their journey of faith. Please do be praying for them as they take this important step as well as asking them about their experience if you are interested for the future. I think it is important for all of us to find spaces and places to ask the questions we have, wonder aloud about the mystery of our faith and find people to support us as we go through life. Perhaps others of you would be interested in a Saturday morning gathering to read the Bible together and pray? Let me know if you are. This week various people who minister within our diocese, including the clergy and lay ministers, gathered in Filton for an inspiring and thought-provoking study day with Rev’d Dr. Richard Burridge. He encouraged us to reflect on the Bible with a renewed diligence and to ask ourselves if our conclusions about it are honestly aligned with the life Jesus modelled to us. He challenged us to not simply find interpretations that are self-serving and beneficial to those that are like us. To do this he suggests we need to always look to read and understand the Bible in inclusive communities – spaces where a variety of voices from a range of perspectives can be heard. We wholeheartedly agree and believe our community and our understanding of faith will be stronger as more perspectives are shared. Whilst our focus on Wednesday was the ongoing discussion around our understanding of sexuality and marriage in today’s church the principle applies to any topic. With that in mind, we have an idea’s box at the back of church – please let us know your thoughts and ideas about how we gather as a community so we can continue to find ways to meet together that are helpful and accessible to everyone in our community. This Sunday we will have opportunities to gather to worship in two different ways – first in our simple, spoken communion service at 8:30 and then in our informal, interactive café service at 10:30 with breakfast. You are also welcome to come and support those being confirmed at St Paul’s church in Southville at 16:30. You are invited! Grace and peace, Rev. Phil
Dear friendsIt's always a pleasure to write some thoughts for our weekly message each week. To imagine in my mind's eye the community of St Martin's and to consider how you all are, and how we might connect.We're in the season of preparing the annual report, in anticipation of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) on May 19th at 12.00pm. With each report, the ways in which we have connected throughout 2023 are captured, ready to celebrate. We have connected in a range of ways over recent weeks, from our acts of worship, a working party, midweek prayer, at Southlands residential home, through preparation for confirmation, a PCC meeting, and of course with the telephone calls, emails, walks, cups of tea, and general community "being" that is always part of life.Our Gospel passage this week (John 15: 1 - 8) speaks about the way we are connected to the Father, to God, like branches of a vine, and reinforces how important it is to maintain the connection, to aim to "abide" or "be" with God, so that we might bear fruit.On Saturday at 11am we are connecting with anyone who would like to be part of a conversation about the vision for St Martins and our children, young people and families, as well as connecting on Sunday at our traditional Holy Communion service at 8.30am, and our All Together Communion service at 10.30am. You're invited, come and strengthen your connection to the vine!I wonder if you would also like to consider ways in which your connection to the body of Christ, as seen in the community at St Martin's, could strengthen. The Electoral roll is open to new members - this "roll" represents anyone who feels they are a member of St Martin's church, and it enables us to have a realistic picture of who and how many people are part of the membership. There are also a number of spaces on the Parochial Church Council (PCC), and this group forms part of the governance and leadership of St Martin's. Forms for each of these are at the back of church.We are also looking for volunteers to help with the behind the scenes setting up and serving at Cafe Church. All of these are ways to grow in connection, and participate in the story of this beautiful church.I look forward to connecting with you in the coming days.With every blessingBecky
