Pew Sheet 23rd March 2014

St Dunstan’s Church, Monks Risborough
& St. Peter’s Chapel, Owlswick
Registered Charity Number: 1153869.

Part of the Risborough Team Ministry

www.stdunstanschurch.com

Vicar: The Revd. James Tomkins
01844 275944 (day off Tuesday)
jamestomkins@btinternet.com
The Rectory, Mill Lane, Monks Risborough, HP27 9JE

Churchwardens:
Sue Ingram 01844 275287 suemingram@hotmail.com 
Susanne Dodds 01844 342746 susanne@sunfire-uk.com

Welcome!
We hope you will enjoy worshipping here with us.

Coffee is served in the church hall after the 10am service.

Please see our welcome leaflet on the table for all of our services and activities,

The Junior Church (10 o’clock Club) meet in the Church Hall before coming into Church for Communion

 

Sunday 23rd March 2014

Third Sunday of Lent

Today we focus on the encounter, told in the Gospel of John, between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. So in our worship let us reflect on how we encounter Jesus in our own lives. In what spirit do we meet Jesus? How could we make these encounters richer?

10.00 am          Parish Eucharist
Hymns: 343, 252, 249, 104
Communion: 310, 289, 924

First Reading     Exodus 17:1-7
The Israelites, led by Moses, camp at Rephidim, where there is no water. Thirsty and frightened, they turn on Moses, who turns to the Lord. The Lord instructs Moses to strike the rock with his staff, and water will come out.

Second Reading      Romans 5:1-11
Paul writes to the Romans that we are justified by faith. Suffering, he writes, produces endurance, which in turn produces character and ultimately hope. God proved his love for us in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Consequently we are justified by his blood, and reconciled to God through his death.

Gospel      John 4:5-15
Jesus rests by Jacob’s well in a Samaritan city, where he meets a local woman and tells her about “living water”.

3.00 pm            Owlswick Choral Evensong
Readings: Joshua 1 v 1-9, Ephesians 6 v 10-20
Hymns: 206, 378, 294, 366; Psalm: 40 v1-13

Prayer for the Week

God, living and true, look upon your people, whose dry and stony hearts are parched with thirst. Unseal the living water of your spirit; let it become within us an ever-flowing spring, leaping up into eternal life. Thus may we worship you in spirit and in truth through Christ, our deliverance and hope, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, holy and mighty God for ever and ever. Amen.

Your prayers are asked in the coming weeks for:

• The people of the Ukraine and Crimea, as they try to move forward to a peaceful and stable life, after the recent violence and upheaval.
• All those affected by the recent missing Malaysian airplane: for those aboard it, passengers and crew; for their families awaiting news; and for all the services working together to find answers.
• The Anglican Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean
• Groups who help those suffering from addictions, especially related to drugs and alcohol
• Police, Fire fighters, Paramedics, Ambulance Crew and other emergency and support workers
• Wycombe Road (PR) Lee Road (Sa)
• Those who are sick in our parish: ,
• And also further afield for:
  • Joan Male, Bill Male, Richard Irvine, Alastair, David Holding, Matt Elworthy, Uncle Frank
• The recently departed:
  • John Clegg, John Mcmullan, Helen Keeping, Geoffrey Carter, Doris Gomme
• Those whose anniversary of death falls at this time:
  • Doreen Argue, Minnie Greig, Ida Ashby, Brian Copcutt, Peter Frith

Please remember the charities that the parish supports:
Tearfund, working in partnership with Christian agencies and churches worldwide to tackle the causes and effects of poverty.

Notices

Situations vacant
Help is currently required in a number of specific areas. First there is a vacancy for churchwarden. If you have an interest in the fabric of our church buildings and would like to take on a lead role within the church congregation then please speak with James, Sue or Susanne. There is a role description to have a look at on the table. There is also a need to have someone from St. Dunstan’s to be a representative for Lighthouse. Again a role description has been produced for this. Please speak with James if you are interested in finding out more. It would be great as well to have more people involved in helping to put on events at St. Dunstan’s. If you can join the events team who serve drinks, move pews, plan activities etc. please speak with James. Finally we need to recruit additional people (children or adults) to help set up and/or serve and/or tidy away the bread and wine at the Parish Eucharist. If you are interested in finding out more please speak with Sheila or James.

New Service Booklets
To support the introduction of the new seasonal service booklets on April 27th the second of two sermons on ‘worship’ will be given today entitled ‘The Eucharist’. The first new seasonal booklet approved by the PCC should be available to look at from the beginning of April. There will also be an article in the April/May and following edition of the newsletter about the new services and the significance of the bread and wine at Holy Communion. James and Rob

‘Open House’ at The Rectory, 8pm Monday March 24th
This is a chance to explore and to ask questions of faith in a relaxed and friendly environment. Please come along to watch a short DVD followed by a time of discussion. James

St. Dunstan's Fellowship
The next walk is on Tuesday 25th March – please meet in the layby off the A4010 at 9.15am. Knit-ins” will be in the Church Hall on the 4th Thursday of each month starting at 2.00pm. On April 10th at 8.00pm in the Church Hall, Jill Carey will present “From the native to the exotic – Gardens of New Zealand”. Everyone is welcome.

Risborough Cares Charity AGM
Risborough Cares is holding its Annual General Meeting on Thursday 27th March 2014. This will be in the Lower Hall of the Princes Centre in Clifford Road. Tea /coffee will be available from 7pm and the meeting will commence at 7.30pm. Details of funds that have accumulated in Risborough Cares Charity accounts for the Princes Centre will be available. All welcome.

Church Annual Meetings, April 7th
Drinks will be served from 7.30 pm with the meetings starting at 8 pm. Apologies can be sent to Douglas Miller (01844 343206). The meetings elect the two churchwardens for the coming year; give a chance to review/comment on church life over the past 12 months and look ahead to the coming year. Reports for the meetings are now available for your perusal. If you are not coming to the meeting please can you return the copy you take so that there is enough for everyone at the meeting to have a copy.

Friendship Group
We meet in the church hall on the third Wednesday of the month at 2.30pm. The next meeting is Wednesday 16th April.

Easter Lilies in Memory of a Loved One
Once again there is the opportunity for parishioners to donate the cost of an Easter lily as part of an arrangement in memory of a loved one. If you would like to take part, please write your name and the person(s) whom you wish to remember on the list in the Church or contact Jenny Masterton-Smith on 01844 273538 or Gwen Miles 01844 345230. To make your donation, please put your contribution into a blue gift aid envelope and write “Easter Lily” on it, (with your name & address on, if you are a taxpayer) Please put the envelope into the wooden chest on the pillar or hand it to James Tomkins.

Lighthouse 2014
There are a whole host of volunteering opportunities again this year. From craft, first aid, cooking, car parking etc. There is something for everyone to get involved with. Please take a copy of the A4 green flyer.

Readers required for Good Friday service of reflection
This service at ‘the foot of the Cross’ at 2 pm requires five people to read short reflections as part of this service. If you are interested in being either the soldier, Mary, the thief, Mary of Magdala or the disciple John, please let James know.

The Next Few Weeks 

Morning Prayer usually takes place on Mondays (except Bank Holidays), Wednesday and Thursday at 8.45 at St. Dunstan’s.

Mon 24th Mar	8.00pm ‘Open House’ at the Rectory
Wed 26th Mar	1.00pm Memorial service (John Clegg)
Thurs 27th Mar	9.30am Holy Communion 2.00pm Funeral Service (John Mcmullan) 2.00pm Monks Monkeys (at The Rectory)
Sun 30th Mar Mothering Sunday	Clocks have gone forward 1 hour 8.00am Holy Communion 10.00am Mothering Sunday (without Communion) 6.00pm Choral Evensong
Mon 31st Mar	11.30am Cremation Service at Chilterns Crematorium (Helen Keeping) 8.00pm PCC meeting (church hall)
Thurs 3rd Apr	9.30am Healing & Holy Communion 2.00pm Monks Monkeys (church hall)
Fri 4th Apr	9.30am Monks Risborough School Service
Sun 6th Apr	8.00am Holy Communion 10.00am All Age Family Eucharist & Baptisms of Rose and James McGuire, Poppy Ungi and Thomas Payne 6.00pm Choral Evensong
Mon 7th Apr	7.30 (drinks) for 8.00 pm Annual Meetings