April / May 2023 St Peter’s Church, Elworth www.stpeters-elworth.org.uk
Welcome to the April/May 2023 edition of Speak magazine.
As we move into spring, there are many things happening for everyone to get involved with. On page 4 you can find information about our Easter Services, with five to choose from, there is something for everyone. For young people we have the Epic Explorers holiday club, see page 8 for details on that.
Welcome Vision statement
We are committed in love to worshipping God:
Lucy Kelly & Kate Page Editors
· By proclaiming the Gospel in word and action
· By encouraging growth
· By serving others
· By leading people into a personal relationship with Jesus.
Vicar: Revd David Page 01270 762415 vicar@stpeters-elworth.org.uk
Curate: Revd Anthony Rigby anthony@stpeters-elworth.org.uk
Church Office: 01270 762213 office@stpeters-elworth.org.uk
Contact Magazine deadline
Articles for the June/July 2023 edition need to be submitted no later than Monday 15th May 2023.
Submissions by this date are requested via email to editor@stpeters-elworth.org.uk. Thank you.
Easter – Just another Celebration!
What does Easter mean to you? Is it just another celebration and chocolate fest? Easter should be more than that, for it gives us an opportunity to stop and think, especially about what life is all about. At Easter we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection to new life following his death on the cross and His promise to us of life in Heaven after death. Sometimes we are so focussed on this future promise that we forget to see that what Jesus promises us is eternal life.
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”
John 5 : 24
Eternal life doesn’t start when we die, but this life that Jesus promises us commences when we put our faith and trust in Him, and live with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Jesus promises us not only life after death, but also life BEFORE death. But what does this mean? Aren’t we already alive? In some ways yes, we breathe, we speak, we eat, we laugh, we cry but, because of sin, although we may be existing physically, spiritually and in the sight of God, we are dead. When we accept the self-sacrifice of God on the cross and start to trust in Jesus, rather than our goodness or our achievements, then we start to experience eternal life, life before death in its fullness.
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10 : 10b
Yes, we still experience suffering, pain and rejection in our mortal life because we still live in a world of sin, where we often fall short of the glory of God. However, we also know, through the Holy Spirit, that as forgiven sinners we are loved by God and can receive the benefits of that love today and every day. This Easter, let us celebrate that Jesus died and rose again so that through faith in Him we can have life after death. But, let us also celebrate that the life Jesus promises us starts in this world, and so let us celebrate His gift to us of life before death in all its fullness. For Easter is more than just another celebration.
Happy Easter!
David’s Page…
Easter Services
Good Friday
Friday 7th April
10.30am
All Age Service
St Peter’s Church Hall
1.30pm
Meditation Service
St Peter’s Church
Easter Sunday
Sunday 9 th April
8.45am
Holy Communion
St Peter’s Church Hall
10.30am
All-age Holy Communion Service
St Peter’s Church Hall
6.00pm
Easter Songs of Praise
St Peter’s Church
Services for April and May
All services are subject to change
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8.45am St Peter’s 10.30am St Peter’s 6.00pm St Peter’s 2nd April Church is open for Prayer Morning Worship Holy Communion 9th April Holy Communion All-age Holy Communion Easter Songs of Praise 16th April Church is open for Prayer Holiday Club Special Service Holy Communion 23rd April Holy Communion Morning Worship Evening Prayer 30th April Church is open for Prayer Morning Worship Compline 7th May Church is open for Prayer Morning Worship Special Service 14th May Holy Communion Morning Worship Evening Prayer 21st May Church is open for Prayer Morning Worship Holy Communion 28th May Holy Communion All Age Service Evening Prayer
and
in
Hall
8.45am
10.30am are both
the Church
6.00pm is in Church
Memories of Notting Hill Gate
In 1954, after three years of training in Birmingham, I started on my first (very junior) job in hospital administration at Paddington General Hospital. From then until 1952 I lived in lodging in Notting Hill Gate, a 25 minute walk from the hospital. I spent my first week in a hostel before finding these lodgings, which were advertised in a local newsagents. They were in a large 12 roomed house – I started in the smallest, cheapest room, and graduated to the largest and most expensive. The landlady provided a cooked breakfast and a cooked evening meal. There were a couple of ladies in their sixties, but most of the other residents were young people like myself trying to get their foot onto the bottom rung of the ladder.
In the 1950s Notting Hill wasn’t the home of the rich and famous that we know today – it seemed somewhat run down, and the overwhelming majority of the population, in those pre – immigration days, were white British.
During my first week I met a girl of my own age who was visiting a friend in the hostel. Her name was Mary-Pat, and she was a nurse who had trained at St Thomas’ Hospital. At the time she was ‘on the district’, and on her bicycle she looked like someone straight out of ‘Call the Midwife’.
She turned out to be a Christian, and over the next week or so she said things like ‘there is no such thing as a coincidence – it is the hand of God’, and she told me straight that I should give up smoking and give the money to the Church.
She drew my attention to John 8.32, where Jesus said ‘you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’, and I praise God that before long that became true for me.
By David Foster
Shortly after, I recognised two people in the lift coming up from Notting Hill Gate tube station, one a distinguished philosopher, a professed unbeliever, who went on to become the Master of King’s College, Cambridge, and his wife, a prominent Labour politician who later became a cabinet minister. On emerging from the lift, we were greeted by a little old lady offering treats and intoning ‘you must be born again’, and similar exclamations from scripture. The philosopher said to his wife ‘the woman’s mad’. But who was it who really knew the truth, the learned philosopher or the little old lady? ‘But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise’ (1 Corinthians 1.27).
Some time later, when walking down Ladbroke Grove, I bumped into an old school friend called Alan (another of those coincidences?). He was working for Johnny Walker’s whisky at the time. With the enthusiasm of someone who has recently come to faith, I tried to explain the Christian gospel to him. After I introduced him to a more senior Christian friend, he too embraced the Christian faith.
He gave up his job with Johnny Walker’s and trained to be a teacher, going on to teach English and Religious Education at a secondary school in Ely. A number of years later he told me that over the course of his career he had been able to help about 250 young people to find a true faith in Christ.
Epic Explorers!
Fair Trade Stall
In January I had the sad news that Traidcraft plc had gone into Administration. Traidcraft plc had been struggling for a while since before the Pandemic, but now unfortunately they are no more. This was a blow to me as they were my only supplier of Fair Trade goods.
I have been doing some research into other companies and have found a new supplier that sells similar products. I am going to give them a try and so the product range will change a bit. By the time you read this I will have relaunched on the 19th March with some of the new products.
Obviously, I still have some Traidcraft things left to sell. If all goes well, then I can continue as before with one or two stalls a month. I will also try and capture the 8.45am and 6.00pm services, while they are still in the hall. If anyone has any queries or requests, please do not hesitate to contact me. Many thanks, Carolyn Barker.
Future dates when there will be a Fair Trade stall.
2nd April, 23rd April, 14th May & 28th May
St Peter’s @ 3
St Peter's @ 3 is our new monthly service. It takes place on the first Sunday of the month at St Peter's Church Hall, and is simply a very relaxed and informal time of worship that lasts an hour. We have children's groups for those aged 3-10, and a toddler area as well. We always have refreshments afterwards with delicious home-made cakes. It would be lovely to see you. For more information on the service, visit our Facebook page where you will find information on many of the activities and services we run.
Gareth Davies gareth@stpeters-elworth.org.uk
Small Groups
Small Groups provide an opportunity for people to make friends, grow in their faith and discuss life together in a smaller setting than the Sunday Service.
They are informal, friendly and supportive, providing an ideal setting in which to meet new people. Groups run throughout the week. For further details contact the Church Office on 01270 762213.
From the registers Editorial disclaimer
We join in sadness with the family of the late:
Shirley Gaskell; Maurice Hart
Jan Ludlam
A date for your diary…..
This year our APCM (Annual Parochial Church Meeting) will be held on Sunday 21st May at 12noon in the Church Hall.
More details will follow in the weekly notice sheet, via Social Media and on the Church website : www.stpeters-elworth.org.uk
Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of this magazine, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. The Editors are responsible for content selection and reserve the right to amend articles and withhold items as deemed necessary. Articles submitted after the deadline date may not be included in that edition of the magazine and the Editors’ decision is final. Should you have any concerns regarding the content in the magazine or wish to submit an article for inclusion, please contact us by phoning the Church Office on 01270 762213 or email editor@stpeters-elworth.org.uk.
Lucy Kelly & Kate Page, Editors
St Peter’s PCC, Elworth - Registered Charity Number 1130803
Information….
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