The Welland-Fosse Benefice: Prayers and Notices.

 Sunday 21^th June 2020:  Trinity II

• Please remember in your prayers those who are sick: Bishop John and his wife and Janette Saunders (all with Coronavirus), Barry Broughton, David Bradshaw, David Bagshaw and Derek Barker.
• We pray also for all those who put their lives in danger to serve others suffering from Coronavirus and for those who have lost their jobs in the crisis.
• Why not join us via Zoom for Morning Prayer each day at 8.30am – or Compline on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7.30pm? Sunday worship is at 10am, presenting a service with music and brief address.  Join us in the usual way via Simon’s email address, sialey@aol.com
• “5 Steps to Kick-start Prayer”?  Go the benefice website: wellandfosse.org
• Zoom bible studies in St. Mark’s Gospel have been postponed, awaiting demand! Please let Christopher know if you want further details: armstrong60@yahoo.com
• Our churches are preparing to open for private prayer. For details of particular churches, see below.

SOUTH LUFFENHAM

A reminder that our church is open 10am – 4pm every day for private prayer

 

BARROWDEN

St Peter’s should be open for private prayer from this Sunday.  

 

TODAY’S MEDITATION

This pandemic has been ruthless in so many ways: a great leveller.  The lockdown may be easing but there are still so many options closed down to us. Families are even now making the most tentative of connections with one another and church-going is still off-limits. I cannot climb my beloved mountains and chocolate biscuits are severely limited.

 

We are beginning to reset our moral compass, both individually and as a nation. How are your priorities changing?  Some of us have had our most crucial props snatched away in terms of loved ones or jobs.  Many of us have survived these vicious attacks but are still left with an almost clean slate on which to re-map the rest of our lives. To be honest, not many external forces could have produced such a profound dislocation but now it has happened, we have choices before us.

 

To what were you shackled before the pandemic? What would you dearly like to see gone forever?  And what new attitudes will we adopt – directions which would enrich our lives like nothing before?

Baptism is a bit like that.  We were buried in the waters of the font and raised to new life in the Christian community. Life changed dramatically but we may not realize its implications at 6 months of age.  Now, this pandemic works like another baptism.  Life has changed and will never be the same again. Society will be different, and – please God – embrace more of His Kingdom values: greater care for one another, the created order, re-evaluating the overlooked and underpaid. No wonder many more people are looking in the direction of faith to find a more durable landmark!  For a few of us that search might result in a Damascus Road drama but for most, it will appear as glory under our feet.

 

See wellandfosse.org for much more information, including contact details for

The Very Rev Christopher Armstrong and the churchwardens