Category: Nurture

Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuits and he thought about ways of making prayer an immediate and powerful experience for anyone looking to deepen their relationship with God. A particular feature of the Jesuits was that they were to pray wherever they happened to be. They presuppose that God is present in our world and active in our lives. As Ignatius said, they were to ‘find God in all things’.

It would have been very busy that day. Jerusalem packed with pilgrims coming into the city from all over to celebrate the Passover. Inspired by the memory of Moses the atmosphere would be one of excitement and expectation as the pilgrims came together – many, may be, meeting up with friends they had made in previous years…

Easter is on its way and we have been given access to a very exciting resource on the teaching of Easter called ‘Easter Tales’. Schools, Catholic and Church of England dioceses have begun to circulate it to their networks or are streaming it for virtual church services. It comes with free downloadable teaching resources.

This Sunday 5th April is Palm Sunday. One of our regular viewers asked us to put up some ideas for things children could make at home in the absence of being at Junior Church or Sunday School. So, here are just a handful of ideas which illustrate the story in Matthew 21.

As you would expect, Tearfund is currently assessing how coronavirus is affecting the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities. We are looking at how we can best support our locally based partners & churches to make a meaningful, sustained response to this pandemic. We would greatly value your prayers as we move forward.

In our present circumstances we cannot be physically together but perhaps instead of watching Countryfile on Sunday evening, you might follow the attached service and we can be Sunday@Seven in our own homes, in some way, together.

Here’s our April 2020 magazine. Obviously with Covid-19 and all the restrictions, the magazine is a bit different to normal. There’s not much ‘what’s on’ but it does give us more space for reflections and prayer. There are also suggestions for worship from home. Though let’s not forget it’s Easter!

Here are the April 2020 Bible readings. April includes Easter this year. So, we have the immediate build up when Jesus enters Jerusalem, Good Friday, the Resurrection and then what happens next…

With us all being at home more due to Covid-19, it’s an opportunity to reconsider how best we spend our time. The ancient practice of Lectio Divina is something worth considering as we search for the holy in the midst of the everyday.

Today’s gospel story is of a brief encounter – an encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria at Jacob’s well. And just as for Celia Johnson’s character in the film, it was a turning point in the life of that woman…

With shutdowns and restricted movement taking place due to Covid-19 we’re not going to be able to worship with one another in the way that we’re normally used to. It won’t be the same as our usual gathering together but here are links to some great on-line prayer and worship resources that you can access from home…

Although her faith was by no stretch of the imagination complete, just moments after meeting Jesus, she went out and drew people in. “Come and see” she says. And they do…

We will be open for public worship from July 12th with all necessary hygiene and safe distancing protocols in place.

Our next Sunday@Seven service will be on Sunday 29th March 2020 in the Barritt Room at St John with St Mark, Bury. The theme this time is ‘When we pray’ which is taken from the Tauren Wells song of the same name.

People have always looked up at mountains and hills. Maybe it’s because they are there – you can’t miss them – they stand out. They look strong and majestic. And when you get to go up to the top of the mountain or hill you look again and see for miles – you can see further than from down on the lowland.