Thursday 11 June 2020

Dear Friends,

After Trinity Sunday last week, we have now entered into a lengthy period in the Church calendar known as ‘Ordinary Time’. That means the great festivals of Christmas, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost are over for another year. Our liturgical colour will remain green now for many months - with just a few odd exceptions - until All Saints’ Day and, a few weeks after that, the beginning of a new liturgical cycle on Advent Sunday. Although the Christian faith is founded on significant events – Jesus’s birth, passion, death, resurrection and ascension - what we do in this season is consider how the Jesus story impacts on ordinary, everyday life, and how it might enable us to continue to grow (no matter what our age) and to transform the people we are, the people we can yet become, and life in the world. These past few months have been anything but ordinary, of course. In many ways, we have been forced by coronavirus to reconsider what ‘normal’ and ‘ordinary’ look like; the resultant ‘new normal’ has already become a cliché! But even in strange times there are some things that always require our ongoing attention. So, in this year’s green season, let’s take a fresh look at how the Christian faith informs the ways we relate to each other; how it influences our motives, choices and decisions; what contribution it can make to the great issues of our day; how it equips us to deal with life’s varied experiences, not least how we face up to the anxieties we have about health, work, money, relationships, children, loss, separation and death… May this green season be a productive one for all of us.

You will have heard the government announcement that churches may reopen for private prayer as well as for funerals from 15 June onwards. We are working through all the guidance that is being published about how to open churches safely and how to keep members of our congregations safe. This is important and can’t be rushed. We will let everyone know when we feel it is safe and responsible to open our churches for private prayer a few hours at a time. In next week’s newsletter we will give you more details.

In the meantime, do continue with prayers for our church communities and join in worship via Zoom or Facebook! St Matthias are holding their Sunday worship via zoom every Sunday at 10.00am – please contact Anne for access codes. St John the Divine and St Mary Magdalene post recorded services on the churches’ Facebook pages and then also on the Richmond Team Ministry website. Details about Morning Prayer are further down in this newsletter.

The annual St Alban’s Pilgrimage is a wonderful celebration of the life of England’s first martyr Alban and a fantastic day for pilgrims from all over the country, including Richmond. Sadly the day had to be cancelled this year, but there will be an online version called The Alban Pilgrimage Reimagined on 21 June 10am via YouTube, with Revd Richard Coles, parish priest, broadcaster and former Communard, and other special guests.

RSCM Music Sunday — 14 June 2020 celebrating the role of music and musicians in church life At a time when our organists cannot play, and our choirs cannot come together other than through the wonders of technology, never has it been more important/appropriate to consider how much they enrich worship. This year, instead of churches organising their own special services, we are invited to join in a specially put together service to bring singers and worshippers together across the globe. The Big Music Sunday Service, which will be live-streamed on YouTube at 6.00pm on Sunday 14 June, offers an opportunity to join with others in singing great hymns, and to sing well-known and new pieces, including the specially written anthem by Thomas Hewitt-Jones, Hymns and Psalms and Sacred Songs. More information is available via the RSCM website: https://www.rscm.org.uk/music-Sunday/ If you would like the Order of Service with all music and texts for this service, do contact Wilma via email.

Prayer for Many Gifts Stephen Cherry, Dean of King’s College, Cambridge

Give me, O Lord, a calm soul and a clear head, a broad mind and a generous spirit.

Give me, a warm heart and a listening ear, my true voice and a gentle touch.

Give me, a hunger for justice and a thirst for peace, a passion for truth and a love of mercy.

Give me, a painter’s eye and a poet’s tongue, a saint’s patience and a prophet’s hope.

Give me, a sage’s wisdom and a fool’s delight, a pilgrim’s purpose and an angel’s content. Amen.

With every blessing for this coming week from your parish clergy,

Anne, Neil and Wilma

Here is some news from Helen, our Children and Youth Ministry Leader:

WANTING TO GET INVOLVED?! If anyone has been wondering about getting more involved with volunteering with Children & Youth there are still opportunities to do so: helping with the Toddler Sessions (sharing the story, leading prayers and singing), assisting with SevenUp (being involved with the planning, demonstrating a science experiment, getting involved generally) or with Junior Church (Bible reading, activity, prayer or song). Additionally, while we are 'online' it is a great time to 'pop along' to a session (virtually) and see what happens and consider whether you might like to take an active role. As usual, there will be some safeguarding procedures to follow to ensure it is a good fit for both you and our young people, but this is straight forward and is about the adults having a good experience as well as keeping our most vulnerable as safe as possible. Interested in knowing more, contact Helen via email or on the mobile for a chat: 07732 901669.

NEW! - Junior Church is now having a mini 20 minute Zoom meeting at 9.30am on a Sunday morning, this works well alongside: services online, the YouTube Junior Church provided by Helen, and/or the paper based Junior Church notes emailed out from Helen. (Contact Helen for joining details for the Zoom session).

Zoom Meetings: Do join us with your babies, toddlers, children or young people. Download 'Zoom' and email Helen for joining details (NB – new passwords for June): Mini Junior Church Sundays 9.30am. 20 minutes, aimed at those 3-11yrs. SevenUp Catch up, focus, games and prayer for 7 year olds upwards. Meeting this Saturday 13th June 2020, 4pm (with Father Neil). (Then future dates: 27.06.2020 – 10.30am, 11.07.2020 – 4.00pm) Eaglets Tuesdays at 3.30pm. (Next week our toddler group will be sharing the story of the Feeding of the 5,000. Plus singing & rhymes) Mary's Little Lambs Thursdays at 2.30pm. (Next week the story is 'Moses in the wilderness', using Diddy Disciples material for this Toddler Church service) Cuppa & Catch up Wednesday at 8.30pm. All welcome for this informal time of conversation! (for parents and carers).

YouTube: Weekly Junior Church video sessions are on our 'Children & Youth YouTube Channel', available from 9am on Saturday (Links can be found on the website as well) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAx9IJEyEAnl1tITcZ8SehA Here you can also view 'Godly Play' Stories, Creative ways of praying using 'Prayer Spaces' and some Diddy 'Diddy Disciples' clips.

Ideas and support for Faith at Home: 'Messy Church' ideas are available on this website: https://www.messychurch.org.uk/resources/messy-church-home-ideas It is full of creative ways to explore faith and worship using household items, available for you to do independently. Well worth a look!

Diddy Disciples have a new extra page on their website, to support church / faith at home: https://www.diddydisciples.org/thechurchathome

'Together at Home - Church Resources' has lots of ideas - you can find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/613930636117980/

You'll find some more suggestions and links to living out your faith at home, particularly if you have young people with you: http://www.going4growth.com/growth_in_faith_and_worship/faith-in-the-home

Staying in contact for children and families: Facebook group 'Children & Youth, Richmond Team Ministry' at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/770911086650680/. This provides a space to stay in touch and support 'faith at home'.

Please continue to join us in praying for our schools, nurseries, all who care for children and for the children & young people themselves.

Email / phone Helen: [email protected] / phone 07732 901669.

Church, Community and other news:

Morning Prayer from Monday to Thursday at 8.30am via Zoom is now well established with daily attendance of between 6 – 9 people. If you have access to the app ‘Daily Prayer’, the Church of England website or use a Daily Prayer Common Worship book you will be able to follow the service. If you haven’t got access to either, you are still very welcome to listen and pray along! Meeting ID: 226 953 1591 Password: RTMJune (please note the password will change regularly) Do make sure you are signed in just before 8.30am as we start on time. Morning Prayer is now also being said on Friday at 8.30am, but has a different log-in. Zoom Meeting Link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78537568231?pwd=Ung1aXFTdmd1UEpRZHNhSWFmSWJLdz09 Meeting ID: 785 3756 8231 Password: RTMJune

Give A Little Unfortunately, with our churches closed, and therefore no cash collections at services, and with all groups who would normally use our church buildings also on lockdown, we are experiencing a significant drop in income. We have taken steps to reduce the Team expenditure by placing a number of staff on furlough and will continue to look at other ways of cost saving. We are hugely grateful to so many who continue to make their weekly or monthly contribution to the finances of the Team, by standing order or direct debit. However if anyone would like to make a donation to the work of our churches this can be done at https://givealittle.co/campaigns/5260a080-4ee0-49b6-a1c3-d552ef9a0700 Whilst this is a challenging time for many, financially as well as emotionally, I hope we can continue to count on your support for the work of our 3 churches.

It is with great sadness that we report the sudden and unexpected death of Ann Mayer, the owner and leader of Wings Nursery which has had its home at St Matthias church for almost 30 years. News of Ann’s death has come as a terrible shock and we offer our prayers and deepest condolences to Ann’s husband Anthony, her family, and to all her colleagues at Wings Nursery.

New Almshouses Are you in need of housing? Are you over 65? Living on limited income and savings? Currently living within the Richmond Borough and have been so for at least 5 years? Able to live independently? If so, why don’t you consider Almshouse Community Living? This summer The Richmond Charities will open a brand new development – Wright’s Almshouses on Heath Road, . Comprising 9 high-quality, level access 1 bed almshouses to add to the charity’s existing 130 almshouses. If you meet the eligibility criteria and would like to live within our thriving community, please call 020 8948 4188 for an initial conversation, or email: [email protected] The Richmond Charities provides a vibrant, friendly and caring community where older people are encouraged to live full and active lives within the setting of high quality housing, support, comfort and security.

From the Richmond Foodbank (based at The Vineyard Community Centre): To limit potential spread of Covid-19 we’ve shut our morning drop-in service, the café and the shop. But we are still providing individual support and running foodbank delivery services. This is the perfect storm of people being in greater need, a massive drop in food donations both from suppliers and individuals, and the complete loss of income from the shop and café. We need you now more than ever. How you can help: 1. We are now accepting food donations on Monday and Thursday afternoons 12.30 to 4.30pm at the Vineyard, Richmond TW10 6AQ - See our list of what is needed 2. Donate what you can to the Covid-19 appeal Thank you.

Sunday 14 June is the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire where 72 people lost their lives. The Bishop of Kensington, Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, is asking that churches, especially in London, join together and Ring for Grenfell. You may remember that it was Bishop Graham who led the Church's response to the disaster. We are asked that the church bell should be rung 72 times starting at 6.00pm on Sunday, followed by a 2 minutes' silence at 6.03pm to remember those who died and those still affected by the fire. St John the Divine plan to participate in this, following all guidelines set out by the CofE and the government. Afterwards there will be an online act of remembrance at www.youtube.com/grenfellunited

Where to watch church services or access resources while church buildings remain closed:

The Church of England have a special page for you to light a virtual candle and make time to pray which you can view here: https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/light-candle

Diddy Disciples are streaming Compline bedtime prayers for over 8’s and adults on their Facebook page every night at https://www.facebook.com/diddydisciples/

You can also access more online services produced by the Church of England here: https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online

The Council’s Community Hub helpline launched at the very start of the crisis is a first response for the needs of our residents, particularly the elderly, the medically vulnerable and those who may lack support networks. It can assist with access to medical/care services and food supplies to help those most in need to stay safe and well while they self-isolate at home. The Community Hub can be contacted via: • Telephone: 020 8871 6555 • Email: [email protected] • Website: https://www.richmond.gov.uk/community_hub

______Please pray for: …Fr. Jamil Khadir and the Anglican congregations in Nablus in the West Bank …Christ’s School, and for the five primary schools in our parish …Glass Door guests who are anxious about the coming months …all those who work for the NHS and in local care homes …the sick and those in need - Hermione Lockyer, Ron Bond, Madge Thorns, Molly Lambert, John Roberts, Sarah Swanson …the departed, may they rest in peace - Ann Mayer, Emma Davis (former Chair of Richmond Charities) ______

With best wishes, Tina

Tina Roberts Parish Administrator (Mon – Thurs, 9.00am – 5.00pm) Richmond Team Ministry The Vicarage Ormond Road Richmond Surrey TW10 6TH 020 8940 0362 [email protected] www.richmondteamministry.org Charity Number: 1130018

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