Listen now

This May 17th Newsletter is instead of a magazine and pew sheet. Sadly, all public worship continues to be suspended until further notice.

However, never forget, that the Church is not a building. It is a community of Christians worshipping, praying and caring separately, but united in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Thursday is Ascension Day, the celebration of the risen Jesus leaving this Earth and returning to his Father. The Vicar will be celebrating a service of Holy Communion in Christ Church at 7.30 pm that evening. Unfortunately, due to current restrictions, no one else can be there. However, this service will be on behalf of all in the Benefice. 

If you need to contact the Vicar: Phone 0161 797 7652 or e-mail: dvjt@outlook.com

Prayer for the current pandemic:

Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy, in this time of uncertainty and distress. Sustain and support the anxious and fearful, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may rejoice in your comfort, knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Listen to the Website

You can now listen to, as well as read, the posts on this website! Under the title of each post, like this one, you’ll initially see a graphic equalizer symbol. When that stops, press the arrow next to ‘Listen now’ to hear the post. We’re still ironing out some problems but it’s getting better!

And there’s voice-search capability. You should see a blue microphone symbol at the side of any page. Just click on it and say (or type) what you’re looking for.

It’s early days and the voice recognition seems to work better with Google Chrome than with other browsers. The blue microphone also has a voice assistant which we’re in the process of developing.

Prayer

The Vicar says Morning Prayer at 9.30 am and Evening Prayer at 5.00 pm on a daily basis. By also saying prayers at this time we are uniting together. For those in our regular congregation, we will be dropping off a copy of the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ booklet which you may wish to follow.

Please remember in your prayers:

The World – The nations of the world as lock-down restrictions begin to lift.

This Country – All those who work in our care homes and hospitals. Please also think about the Sisters at St Joseph’s Prayer Centre in Formby. It would have been our annual retreat there this week.

This Benefice – All those who minister in the Benefice.

This Parish – Those across the Parish who have returned to work this week and for their safety as they travel and work.

Recently Deceased – Preston Hulse, the son of our former incumbent, Arthur. Preston’s funeral took place this week, so please keep his family in your prayers.

Notices and updates

Magazine and 250th Anniversary: There will be a June 2020 issue of the magazine in order to mark the 250th anniversary of the Parish of St. John. Although the anniversary will not be as originally planned, we will use this issue to celebrate the event by various means. Perhaps you have a few words, memories or photographs you would like us to include? We aim to have the magazine sent to print by next weekend, so any material you have (including items not connected to the anniversary) should be given by this Thursday. Articles can be sent via email to the inbox: wrub@live.co.uk

Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement running from Ascension to Pentecost. Its aim is for more people to come to know Jesus. It began in 2016 as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury & York to the Church of England. In 4 years it has grown into an international & ecumenical call to prayer. In 2019, Christians from 172 countries took part in praying ‘Come Holy Spirit’, so that friends & family, neighbours & colleagues might come to faith in Jesus Christ. Booklets offering material for Morning, Evening and Night Prayer for the period from Ascension Day to Pentecost (May 21-31) are being distributed to the congregation.

GIVING: Please ensure you continue to contribute to our church funds at this time. Envelopes should be kept safe and given when able to do so. If you would like to consider donating by Standing Order, then our bank is: Barclays; Sort Code: 20-16-08; Account No: 20774774; Account name: St. John with St. Mark PCC. Please contact Ian or June Banks for more information.

For hints, tips and links to resources for prayer and worship at home please take a look at this post.

Until we meet again…

TAKE CARE, STAY SAFE & GOD BLESS YOU

Thanks to Roman Kraft on Unsplash for the photo. For the next newsletter, please follow this link.