PARTNERS Newsletter
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weekly PARTNERS newsletter Growing in Faith, Reaching Out 26 August 2018 to All Trinity 13 St Mary’s For the last 10 months I’ve been helping to look after Fordingbridge Lyndhurst, Emery Down and Minstead so on Tuesday evening I SP6 1BB was invited to attend the licensing of their new priest by Bishop Jonathan. St Mary’s Breamore He took as his text the two verses about the parable of the SP6 2DF pearl of great value found by a merchant. The merchant sold everything he had - everything – to buy that pearl. The pearl Holy Ascension represents the kingdom of God and the message is, that if you Hyde have God you don’t need anything else. SP6 2QJ That’s a huge challenge for us. Maybe in our context it isn’t St Giles about giving away everything we have but using all we have to Godshill make God known in this place. SP6 2JJ Mark Ward St Boniface Woodgreen SP6 2AJ We welcome all, especially visitors and those attending for the first time. If you need gluten free wafers at Communion, please speak to someone at the door before the service. St Mary’s Hale Please take this newsletter home with you for SP6 2RF the week ahead. Please stay after the morning service for tea and coffee, to meet folk Sandleheath and ask any questions. God Bless Uniting Church SP6 1PT EMERGENCY PRAYER CHAIN : Please send all requests for prayer to [email protected]. If you feel able to commit to regular prayer for those on the list and wish to become a prayer partner, please make contact via the above e-mail address. READINGS - for you to use today and during the week 26 August 2018 — Trinity 13 COLLECT: Almighty God, you search us and know us: may we rely on you in strength and rest on you in weakness, now and in all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN. PSALM 84 (For Morning Prayer) 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing to enter the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. 2 The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young: at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 3 Blessed are they who dwell in your house: they will always be praising you. 4 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion, 5 Who going through the barren valley find there a spring and the early rains will clothe it with blessing. 6 They will go from strength to strength and appear before God in Zion. 7 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; listen, O God of Jacob. 8 Behold our defender, O God, and look upon the face of your anointed. 9 For one day in your courts is better than a thousand. 10 I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of ungodliness. 11 For the Lord God is both sun and shield; he will give grace and glory; no good thing shall the Lord withhold from those who walk with integrity. 12 O Lord God of hosts, blessed are those who put their trust in you. A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians Ephesians 6:10-20 Christians need to protect themselves with God's armour. 10 Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak At the end, the Reader says: For the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. THE GOSPEL READING Please stand and turn to face the Gospel Reader When the Gospel is announced, the Reader says: Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. (Glory be to thee, O Lord.) John 6:56-69 Jesus continues to speak of himself as the life-giver, and some of his followers turn away. Peter assures him of the loyalty of the inner group. Jesus said to the crowd: 56 ‘Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’ 66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ 68 Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’ At the end, the Reader says: (At the end, the Reader says: This is the Gospel of the Lord. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. Praise be to thee, O Christ.) (c) New Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible. POST COMMUNION PRAYER: God our creator, you feed your children with the true manna, the living bread from heaven: let this holy food sustain us through our earthly pilgrimage until we come to that place where hunger and thirst are no more; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN. GARY OUT AND ABOUT : Wednesday morning, Communion at Fordingbridge, and then Hale Holiday Club until Friday. EVERYMAN REMEMBERED : Tuesday 28th August at 11am at the Fordingbridge War Memorial Gates—we will be remembering Alfred Witt. A short commemoration, with known details of his life, and prayers. All welcome to come to honour those who have died in war. ‘RIDE AND STRIDE’ : On Saturday, September 8th, our Churches will be open for ‘Ride and Stride’ - people walking, cycling or driving as part of the Historic Churches Trust event. Details at: www.rideandstrideuk.org, and look for Hampshire/Wiltshire/ Dorset. CONGRATULATIONS to Margaret Hallas who will be 100 years old on Monday 27th August. Margaret has been a loyal member of Sandleheath congregation, she was an organist at St Aldhlem's and a hand bell ringer for many years. We will be holding a birthday tea for Margaret on Sunday 26th August in the church schoolroom in Sandleheath from 3.30 p.m. Please do join us if you would like to wish Margaret a Happy Birthday. PRAYER GYM : A course on prayer which we are hoping to run in Lent next year. Could you be a 'Fitness Trainer' to help lead the course. You don't have to be an expert in prayer, just someone who is willing to learn, and to facilitate others on their journey. There will be some training offered in the autumn - four sessions, hopefully delivered locally. It would be really good to have all of our Parishes represented. Have a word with one of the Ministry Team or Wardens if you are interested in finding out more. Thanks, Gary. PUDDLE DUCKLINGS is changing its time! We still meet on the first Thursday of the month but from Thursday 6th September Puddle Ducklings will be from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.