Church

Don’t doubt the love of our Lord Jesus

By The Rev Deb Smith, Team Rector of Bridport

Have you ever suffered from the disease FOMO –the fear of missing out? It’s horrible when you hear friends or family tell you: “Oh you missed it” or “You should have been there.” Poor Thomas misses out on an extraordinary encounter with the risen Christ, because he was somewhere else. As the community experiences the event, he becomes the one who missed it. It was that point in the story, post crucifixion, with the disciples wondering what to do next. Grieving, hiding away in an upper room, with none of the confidence and reignited hope that is to come. And then we hear that wonderfully human account of Thomas, full of doubt, and wanting evidence of their unbelievable claims. There is a real sense that he needs to catch up and understand. What Thomas does know is that their encounter with Jesus has changed his friends, and that’s when the FOMO really kicks in. Thomas, full of incredulity, is left wanting to see for himself to really believe. What is it that makes faith believable? Surely it is the little miracles of transformation that we witness in our lives together. We see it in the love and light shining through the lives of those who serve others. It is the same outpouring of grace and blessing that continues to ignite hope and causes us to embody love in action. Like the work of volunteers at food banks, or those who are good neighbours. Those who open their homes to refugees. It is seen in the faithfulness of those who keep praying for peace in this damaged world of ours. The early Church took hold and grew because of the authentic witness of those first disciples and their amazing transformation that moved them from people of fear to people of joy. And that’s what Thomas wanted too. Jesus showed his scarred hands and side, not to rebuke Thomas, but to transform his doubt to faithfulness and hope. In this joyful Eastertide may we also encounter the risen Christ and know the transforming power of his love for us.

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Services

The fourth Sunday of Easter, May 8 Allington 9.30am Sunday Eucharist Bradpole 11am Holy Communion Bridport 10am Mass Burton Bradstock 11am Holy Communion Castleton 11am Mattins Cattistock 6pm Holy Communion Chideock 8.30am Mass Dewlish 11am Parish Communion Dorchester Baptist Church 10.30am Sunday Service Dorchester Community Church 10.30am Celebration Service Dorchester United Church 9am Holy Communion 10.30am Mid-morning Service 6.30pm Evening Service Also hosts a service at 10.30am on market days Frome St Quintin 11am Holy Communion Halstock 10am Morning Worship Holy Trinity, Dorchester 8.30am Mass 10.30am Mass Lillington 10am Morning Service Littlebredy 11am Holy Communion Litton Cheney 9.30am Holy Communion Longburton 10am Family Communion Maiden Newton 9.30am Worship Service Melbury Osmond 9.30am Holy Communion Puddletown 11am Puddletown Praise Sherborne Abbey 8am Holy Communion 9.30am Parish Eucharist 6pm Choral Evensong Shipton Gorge 9.30am Breakfast Church St Paul’s at the Gryphon 10.30am Morning Worship St Peter’s, Dorchester 9am Said Communion 10.30am Sung Eucharist 9.15am Morning Prayer every day Swyre 11am Holy Communion Tolpuddle 9.30am Parish Communion 5.30pm Sunday Reflections

Five new canons have been be welcomed into Salisbury Cathedral’s College of Canons –including Bridport’s Team Rector Deb Smith and Sherborne’s Gryphon School head Nicki Edwards. West Dorset Magazine columnist The Revd Deb Smith is a former newspaper reporter, who is in her fourth year as Team Rector in Bridport, in charge of six churches. She worked as a newspaper reporter in Salford, Manchester and Dorset before training for ordination. She served her curacy in Dorchester then spent 11 years as Rector of Wyke Regis. Her first trip to Iona 20 years ago was what nudged her to explore vocation. She is married with two grown-up children and loves live music, wild swimming, walking and pub quizzes. Deb helped establish one of the first community hubs in Salisbury Diocese –creating a space where children and young people of all ages can safely explore questions of faith. Nicki, despite being busy in her day job at the helm of the Gryphon, which has 1,645 pupils, has also been instrumental in establishing a community hub in Sherborne. Nicki joins the college as a lay canon. Nicki grew up in Sturminster Newton before studying at Imperial College London and Oxford University. She began her teaching career in Surrey. Nicki has twin children – Alexandra, a teacher in London, and William, a credit analyst for a multi-national firm in the City. Nicki is committed to Christian education and a strong advocate of chaplaincy in schools. She acts as a Bishops’ Adviser in the national Shared Discernment Process, the process by which anyone who believes they have a vocation can test their calling. Like the community hubs, the Shared Discernment Process is designed to open the church up to individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. The Gryphon is pioneering in many aspects of Church School ministry. Nicki has led the development of the school’s innovative Chaplaincy model. Nicki acts as a Bishops’ Adviser in the national Shared Discernment Process and is Churchwarden in her home parish. Each new canon will be allocated a stall in the Cathedral Quire. At twice yearly meetings the college members provide feedback on policy decisions made by Chapter, the Cathedral’s governing body. Both Deb and Nicki were installed on Tuesday.

May 14 Sherborne Abbey 3pm Thanksgiving Service – Friends of Yeatman Hospital

The fifth Sunday of Easter, May 15 Allington 9.30am Sunday Eucharist Bradpole 11am Holy Communion Bridport 10am Mass Burton Bradstock 9.30am Family Worship 6.30pm Evening Prayer Chideock 8.30am Mass

NEW CANON: Nicki Edwards of Sherborne Gryphon School Cathedral college welcomes canons

Chilfrome 11am Morning Prayer Corscombe 11am Morning Worship Dewlish 11am Family Service Dorchester Baptist Church 10.30am Sunday Service Dorchester Community Church 10.30am Celebration Service Dorchester United Church 9am Holy Communion 10.30am Mid-morning Service 6.30pm Evening Service Also hosts a service at 10.30am on market days Evershot 10am Holy Communion Litton Cheney 9.30am Morning Prayer Long Bredy 9.30am Morning Worship Maiden Newton 9.30am Holy Communion Melbury Bubb 5pm Evening Prayer Puddletown 11am Parish Communion Puncknowle 11am All Age Holy Communion Rampisham 11.15am Holy Communion Sherborne Abbey 8am Holy Communion 9.30am Parish Eucharist 6pm Choral Evensong St Peter’s, Dorchester 9am Said Communion 10.30am Sung Eucharist 9.15am Morning Prayer every day Swyre 11am Morning Worship Tolpuddle 9am Family Communion West Chelborough 9.30am Morning Prayer A weekly telephone service is recorded by a member of the Bride Valley Ministry team. To listen call 01308 293062.