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St Barnabas, Joydens Wood
St James, North Cray
St John the Evangelist, Bexley
St Mary the Virgin, Bexley
18th April 2021 Issue57 The Third Sunday of Easter
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Saturday 17th April at 3.00 pm Ceremonial Funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
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The church buildings will have been thoroughly cleaned. As usual, face-masks MUST be worn (unless medically exempt) hand sanitiser will be used and social distancing of 2 Metres MUST be observed at all times. Do not attend if you or a member of your household is shielding or vulnerable. The church doors will open for ventilation, so dress accordingly.
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St James 9.30 am Holy Communion
3.00 pm Forest Church
St Barnabas 10.45 am Holy Communion
St John’s 8.00 am Holy Communion
10.00 am Holy Communion
10.00 am Wednesday Holy Communion
Team Zoom Services and Worship material
Saturday 17thApril at 5.30 pm Saturday Nightwatch Zoom Service
Sunday 18th April at 10.00 am Sunday Zoom Service
A Service of bible readings and prayer. See the final sheet of the BTNews for the songs. Invitations to the above Zoom services are being emailed. If you haven’t received the link, or are having problems, please contact any member of the Team Clergy. Dial in option is available.
Sunday 18th April Bexley Team Children’s Church
Here is the link for Children's Church this week https://youtu.be/JVys1VsnVAo
The Diocese of Rochester are producing material for children during lockdown.
All of the Ministry@Home sheets can be found on the main Diocese website under
(under 18s) or click here. Diocese of Rochester | Family Worship in the Home (anglican.org)
Bible Readings Acts 3 v12-19 1 John 3 v1 -7 Luke 24 v36b -48
The Collect: Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord: give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
The Additional Collect: Risen Christ, you filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope; strengthen us also to proclaim your risen life and fill us with your peace, to the glory of God the Father.
Rev’d Sue writes-
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ver the past two weeks we have read and heard accounts of the disciples being afraid, being confused and of doubting. All perfectly normal and human reactions to an extraordinary event which deeply affected the disciples and the followers of Christ.
They must have asked themselves – “Should I continue to believe in this event which is so out of the ordinary?” and “How can I believe if I don’t understand?”
For those outside the inner circle they must have found it difficult to believe and trust in the accounts of the first witnesses and they must have become quite disheartened. So when they did eventually see Jesus for themselves they were left wondering if they could trust their own senses. I am sure we have all had an experience where we have struggled to believe something even when deep down, we know it to be true.
But just as the journey for those first followers was a series of small steps from doubts, fear and confusion to faith, certainty and understanding, so it is for us also.
Our journey of faith is a series of small steps and encounters coupled with the occasional turning point or overwhelming moment which when all put together place our faith on a much firmer footing. It is a process which cannot be hurried, Jesus spent forty days with his followers and for many of us it can take much, much longer. Indeed, it is a journey which is still not finished, we must continue to search for the presence of Christ in our lives as the one who strengthens and sustains our faith and gives us a sense of peace.
I leave you with some prayers which may help you meet with Jesus where your life is touched with fear, confusion or doubt.
Lord Jesus, as your disciples we meet you in the midst of fear.
Travel the distance we have travelled from you, dispel our anxieties about ourselves, our past, our faith and open from the outside the hearts we unlock to you from within.
Lord Jesus, as your disciples we meet you in the midst of confusion.
Help us to identify your voice beneath and above all the other voices we hear, convince us that there is a calm at the heart of the storm; and feed our faith on the certainty of your presence and all your promises.
Lord Jesus, as your disciples we meet you in our doubt.
Help us to hold graciously those questions to which there are no easy answers, enable us to discern the inability to believe which comes from our unwillingness to obey and in the pain and scarring of the world, help us to identify your hands wounded among us.
Lord Jesus, glorious and resurrected, and willing the best for us and daring us to smile with you as we walk behind you, give us your hopefulness, give us your toughness and give us your peace. Amen
At our Zoom Nightwatch service on Saturday 10th April, we listened to extracts from Psalm 145, and the various characteristics of our Lord.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
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The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.
The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
We then spent some time thinking about what we had heard and added these… Perhaps you can think of more!
The Lord has a Heart of Love. (someone drew a lovely picture of this!)
The Lord cares for all of us.
The Lord is like the best kind of parent, he disciplines us, but never stops loving us.
The Lord helps us up, when things go wrong.
The Lord shows care to all who need him.
The Duke of Edinburgh – a personal recollection In the 1980’s I was working at Moorfields Eye Hospital, City Road, London. As we worked the hospital was completely refurbished and redesigned around us. Some of us were amused that new toilets were constructed close to the main entrance and we were strictly instructed that they must not be used until after the royal visit. Then came the day that the ‘new’ Moorfields was officially opened by the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, for which we were issued with new stiffly starched white coats. We stood in the main patient waiting area and as we did so Prince Philip came over and spoke with me. I may have looked a little nervous but he was very kind and asked me what work I did and I was spared any of the famous ‘unfiltered’ comments! Later I took pleasure in visiting the new and very smart ‘royal’ toilets! Rev Clive
Zoom Prayer Course Prayer is central to the lives of Christians throughout the world, but it's something that can be difficult to do and even harder to talk about! So, Rev'd Matt will be running a short introductory course (on Zoom) entitled 'Prayer and Praying for Others'. This two session course will be on Wednesday 5th and Wednesday 12th May, from 8pm-9.15pm. This will be an opportunity for us to consider what happens when we pray, how to pray when we get a bit stuck, and how we can pray for others. Open to everyone, from life-long Christians to those just beginning a journey of faith (and everything in between). Please contact Rev Matt to register your interest or for more information. Thank you! matthodder10@gmail.com 07889873125
Bexley Team Forest Church We are delighted to say that we will be starting a brand new team service this Sunday at 3.00 pm. Forest Church, which will be held each month (on the third Sunday) at St James's Church North Cray, is open to adults and children alike and will enable us to explore God's amazing creation through an outdoor service with activities for all ages. Our first service will be themed on us using our senses to explore our surroundings. Children - make sure you bring an adult with you, and we're looking forward to seeing you there. Rev Matt
Clive will be leading a holiday to Austria and Oberammergau including the Passion Play 22-29 June 2022. If you would like a hard or e-copy of the holiday/pilgrimage brochure please let Clive know.
Scam emails Fraudsters are sending emails purporting to be from Team Clergy which result in a request for Amazon vouchers to be sent or similar. Please be alert as the clergy will never ask for this.
FINANCIAL GIVING TO THE TEAM CHURCHES
For St Barnabas Any contributions can be dropped off at the Treasurer’s house or at the Vicarage. Or you can give by BACS transfer. In all cases, if you are a taxpayer please “Gift Aid” your giving. If you have any questions regarding this please contact, David Peters on 01322 529796 or by email davidpeters45@hotmail.co.uk
For St James, North Cray Contributions can be dropped off at 91 The Grove, or made by BACS transfer, contact Suzy Higgs on 07799072548
For St John's You can give to the continuing upkeep and ministry of St John's via our Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/stjohntheevangelist-bexley
For St Mary’s If you ordinarily make your financial contributions in church but, in the present circumstances, wish to contribute by cheque then please make your cheque payable to St Mary’s Bexley PCC and send it c/o C. Lee 11 Holmesdale Road, Bexleyheath, DA7 4TJ. Your continued support is very much appreciated.
Each week the musicians at St James North Cray offer links to a selection of songs and music for us to enjoy. These can be found on our website www.stjamesnorthcray.org.uk/welcome/music/
St. Mary’s 200 Club winners for April- 1st Chris Pryke, 2nd Janet Bird, 3rd John Waters.
St John’s Sermons are posted each Sunday at fatheredwardbarlow.wordpress.comSocial Media - engage with us via Facebook (/stjohnsbexley), Twitter (@stjohnsbexley) and Instagram (@stjohnsbexley)
THE BEXLEY TEAM CLERGY
Team Rector: Rev’d Ren Harding renharding@hotmail.co.uk 01322 528923 07836644782
Associate Priest: Rev’d Sue Twynam susantwynam@btconnect.com 01322 559501 07952 468127
Team Vicar: Rev’d Edward Barlow fr.edwardbarlow@gmail.com 01322 521786
Team Vicar: Rev’d Clive Wood revclivewood@gmail.com 01322 270942 07982 392809
Team Curate: Rev’d Matt Hodder matthodder10@gmail.com 07889873125
Songs for Zoom Worship – Sunday at 10.00 am.
As we are gathered, Jesus is here,
One with each other, Jesus is here,
joined by the Spirit, washed in the blood,
part of the Body, the Church of God.
As we are gathered, Jesus is here,
One with each other, Jesus is here.
1 O Jesus, I have promised
To serve thee to the end;
Be thou forever near me,
My Master and my friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If thou wilt be my guide.
2 O let me feel thee near me!
The world is ever near:
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear.
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.
3 O let me hear thee speaking
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will.
O speak to reassure me,
To hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen,
Thou guardian of my soul.
4 O Jesus, thou hast promised
To all who follow thee
That where thou art in glory
There shall thy servant be.
And, Jesus, I have promised
To serve thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow,
My Master and my friend.
5 O let me see thy foot-marks
and in them plant mine own;
my hope to follow duly
is in thy strength alone:
O guide me, call me, draw me,
uphold me to the end;
and then in heav’n receive me,
my Saviour and my friend.