26th March 2021 Please forward contributions for Parsnips to Andrea Bridge at [email protected] Parish Office: 3870 8887 www.anglican-stlucia.org UPCOMING SERVICES & EVENTS SSuunnddaayyss 77aamm && 99aamm--- wwiiittthh TThhee LLuucciiiaann SSiiinnggeerrss You can watch previously recorded 9am services at anytime via our website www.anglican-stlucia.org/recordings/ Palm Sunday (28th March) - 7am & 9am Blessing of Palms & Eucharist Maundy Thursday (1st April) - 7.30pm Maundy Thursday Liturgy Good Friday (2nd April) 8am - Solemn Liturgy and distribution of the Reserved Sacrament. 9.30am – Children’s Stations of the Cross 1.30pm – Good Friday Devotion (Stations of the Cross) – Lucian Singers Easter Day (4th April) 6 am - Dawn service with the lighting of the new fire and the renewal of Baptismal vows. 9 am - Sung Eucharist of Easter with the renewal of Baptismal vows. 1 Attendance at services of worship & church based events MUST be “booked” in advance – by either emailing [email protected] or phoning 3870 8887. If the office is unattended please leave a message. We require a full name, contact phone number and email address or residential address for contact tracing purposes. A registration confirmation email will be sent out to attendees prior to the service. You must not attend a gathering if you are : 1. Unwell. 2. Have been in close contact with a known active case of COVID-19. 3. Have COVID-19 symptoms (cough, fever, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath). 4. Have travelled overseas in the previous 14 days. 5. Have been to a declared COVID-19 hotspot in the previous 14 days. MISSION & MINISTRY Needs your Help - We are asking for donations in the following GENRES Non-Fiction – including dictionaries, simple cook books, parenting & self- help books Bibles Women’s, mens and children’s fiction National Geographic, Australian Geographic, Motorcyle & Car magazines. Your donations are distributed to the homeless in our city - the lonely, those feeling like outsiders and their children. Please donate any appropriate reading material to the Free Range Library - there is a large plastic box located at the back of the church or call into the Parish Office during the week (Mon- Fri 8.30am – 12pm). 2 The Next Coffee Morning is Wednesday 7th APRIL – at 10am. All are welcome to come along to Briki’s Café (on the corner of Swann Rd and Central Ave) We meet on the first and third Wednesday of the month. No need to ring first so just turn up if you find you are free that morning. For further information contact Robin Spriggs – 3369 0880. “Seveners' Breakfast Club" will meet on the second Sunday of April as the first Sunday is Easter Day. See you at Forages on Sunday 11th April. Contact Barry Kuskopf 3870 2037 if any questions. Well done to EVERYONE who picked up their saucepans & casserole dishes and helped with the recent push for more meals. On Wednesday a delivery of 70 frozen meals was taken to Holy Trinity church (Fortitude Valley). They were extremely pleased to see the meals, it filled a whole fridge! Please keep up the FANTASTIC effort, as we head into the cooler months – Plastic containers are available at the Parish Office, and the Church Hall kitchen freezers are accessible Monday – Friday (8.30 -12pm). 3 2021 GOOD FRIDAY AND EASTER GIFT APPEAL Coming of the Light – Mission and Ministry in the Torres Strait 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the Coming of the Light to the Torres Strait Islands. The London Missionary Society, with Pacific Islander evangelists, landed on the shores of Darnley Island and introduced the Bible to the people who lived there. This event, the Coming of the Light, is an integral part of cultural identity to Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is marked as a public holiday within the region and there is much joy around its anniversary. It is also an important anniversary for the national Anglican church. The Coming of the Light invites us to reflect on our national history, on the good and the bad. It invites us to celebrate mission and ministry, particularly within the Torres Strait, and it invites us to listen to the church in the Torres Strait, which is made up of vibrant communities of hope. In late 2020 members of the Melanesian Brotherhood began a new household in the Torres Strait. The Melanesian Brotherhood is the world’s largest Anglican religious order and is headquartered in the Solomon Islands. The Brothers live and minister at the Cathedral on Thursday Island, nurturing community and supporting clergy and lay ministers 4 across the islands of the Torres Strait. They will also conduct outreach visits to Yarrabah and the communities of the Cape York Peninsula. The Anglican Church of Australia faces many challenges, and in the words of the Rev’d Canon Victor Joseph, it is time for the church to be “missioned to” by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian leaders. The church in the Torres Strait has much to teach the church around Australia, much salt and light to bear. The Coming of the Light is not simply an historic event, it is an invitation for all of us to be changed by the work of God in the Torres Strait. ABM invites you to celebrate and support the vibrant ministry and mission of the Torres Strait Islander Anglican Church. Funds donated to this project will be used to support the establishment of the Melanesian Brothers’ ministry in the Torres Strait and resource missionaries from the Torres Strait and from North Queensland Aboriginal Communities to carry out missions to schools and parishes in mainland Australia. HOW TO DONATE Online: You can make an online donation to the 2021 Good Friday and Easter Gift Appeal by clicking on the DONATE NOW link. Envelope: There are GIVING envelopes at either the back of the Church (please collect one at any service) or in the Parish Office. For more informationabout the Easter Gift Appeal – please go to the ABM website - Anglican Board of Mission (abmission.org) 5 SPIRITUALITY & EDUCATION “The experience of donating blood during Lent reminded me that the Church’s seasons are truly enriching for those who choose to immerse in them, for they serve as a bridge which carries the life, mission and hope of the ancient Christian faith into our present reality,” says Liturgical Assistant and Ministry Intern, Dylan Katthagen from The Lakes Anglican Church During the season of Lent, in the Anglican Church we take time to reflect upon the story of Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4.1-11) – a period of self- sacrifice which identifies Jesus as the new Moses, and prepares him for his messianic mission and his redemptive death and resurrection. For centuries the Church has drawn on this story, not just to remember it, but to bring it to life in the present age through our own faithful participation. Typically during Lent in the lead up to Easter, Anglicans make sacrifices by donating resources (e.g. food and finances), time (e.g. by volunteering) and/or giving up privileges or habits (e.g. technology and sugary food), for the purpose of joining Jesus in the season of sacrifice and being humbly transformed. So, I found myself thinking and praying, “What sacrifice could I make during this Lenten season that would better make the experience of Jesus come alive?” It was at this point that I felt drawn to donate blood for the first time – to book in an appointment with the Red Cross to give my blood for others. And, I must say, that I was fine at first – giving blood, no 6 problem. But there was something about actually knowing that the day was slowly creeping closer that was a little unsettling, probably because it was the first time I had given blood. Even though I knew that this small sacrifice of time and blood would contribute to saving the lives of up to three others, there was still something uncomfortable about the idea of giving up some of my blood. When the day came I was welcomed into a nice facility with open arms and given instructions, a comfy chair, some food and drink, and I even got to take some nice photos – hardly the Jesus experience! Nonetheless, when I was sitting in the chair watching the blood leaving my body, I began to reflect on the Eucharistic nature of it all. We are all one body in Christ and need to take care of each other, including by giving blood if and when we are able to. It occurred to me that it was an honour to roll up my sleeves and make a small sacrifice to bless others with life, and to do so because of Jesus and in relationship with Jesus. Reflecting on the scriptures made this a humbling and transformative experience indeed. For the Son of God has given his life in order that we might have life to the full (John 10.10). And, what a blessing it was to join our Lord in serving that mission, particularly during this season of Lent. The experience of donating blood during Lent reminded me that the Church’s seasons are truly enriching for those who choose to immerse in them, for they serve as a bridge which carries the life, mission and hope of the ancient Christian faith into our present reality. And, so may we all continue to mark the liturgical seasons and participate in the Jesus story and may the God of peace bless us all with his abundant life for the good of his kingdom.