Notices
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Notices for Sunday 14th April 2024 Royston & District Churches Together
are carrying in their prayers the For details of Sunday Services,
click here: Services Our
Communion Service will be led by Revd Jackie Smith Act
of Worship for Sunday 14th April, click here Services
will be in person and on zoom. - Joining through Zoom on a
telephone: Call 0203 051 2874 (this will be charged at your standard
rate). You will hear “Welcome to Zoom, enter your meeting ID, followed by
hash”. Enter 2418032020, then press #. You
will hear “Enter your participant ID, followed by hash”. There is no need to
do anything – you will automatically join the service shortly. - Joining through Zoom on a
computer, tablet or smart phone: Click this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2418032020 . You
will be prompted to download “Zoom”. Follow the instructions to download it.
Alternatively, visit www.zoom.us ,
click “Join a Meeting” (top right), and when asked, enter the Meeting
ID: 2418032020. If
you would like some help or advice to join please do get in touch with the
Stewards. Those who cannot or decide not to join us are invited to participate
in the same Act of Worship at 10.30am by reading, praying and singing the words
as you have been doing in previous weeks. This Week Saturday 13th April – 10am – Andante; 10.30am – Coffee Break Saturday 13th April - INFORM DEADLINE FOR MAY 2024 ISSUE – Please
email items for inclusion in this issue to inform@royston-methodist.org.uk Thursday 18th April – 7.30pm - Church Council
Meeting - to be held at church. Friday 19th April – 9.00 am - First Friends returns Sunday
21st April – 3.00-5.00pm – Messy Church – led by Mr John Hardwick. The Great Easter
Egg-splained Hunt – craft, science, music, stories and a meal for all Notices A farewell to Miriam Webb has been arranged from 11.00am on
Wednesday 24th April including, at 12.00, a
presentation with some prayers at Wesley Church, Cambridge.
Please let a steward know if you would like to attend. Miriam has been a
tremendous asset to the Circuit’s work and will be sorely missed. If you
would like to contribute to her leaving gift there will be a
collection following the service on Sunday morning. Thank you. A big thank you to everyone who worked so hard, in so many ways, to make
this Easter run smoothly and enable us all to experience some very moving and
meaningful services and worship. Pastoral
Letter – East Anglia District Chair of the District – Revd Dr Julian M. Pursehouse Eastertide 2024 ‘But the
silence in the mind is when we live best, within listening distance of the
silence we call God…’ (RS Thomas) Dear Friends, A recent trip to Launde Abbey
with our regional probationers, has caused me to reflect deeply upon the
spirituality of ‘tarrying’, inspired by Jesus’s command to his disciples in
the Garden of Gethsemane, to tarry and keep watch! Tarrying a while
encourages us to desist and stop, to wait and watch, and to become truly
attentive to the gift of God, each other, and the natural world. None of this
is easy or straight forward in the world in which we live. We live in a busy,
frenetic, and noisy world, where we are constantly bombarded by
notifications, 24-hour news feeds and the chatter of social media. I am reminded
of the Banksy mural, called Mobile Lovers, which depicts the passionate
embrace of two lovers, who at the same time, are peering over each other’s
shoulders at their mobile phones. It is a startling social critique of a
society where seemingly, we have lost the art of true and deep attention to
anything, and instead, we are content to allow our attentions to be multiple
and diffuse! The poetry of RS Thomas (see above) invites us to ponder the
value of silence and solitude. He suggests that we are living at our best or
most excellent, when we proceed from a mind that is serene and calm that has
become accustomed to the value of silence. It is here in this interior
landscape of the heart, that our silence touches the margins of the eternal
silence that is God. The cultivation of this contemplative silence is the
means to clearing the space, for the divine to be encountered, and for the
human heart to be addressed by eternal love. I note with interest that the
Gospel lectionary reading for this Easter Day is Mark 16:1-8, widely regarded
by New Testament scholars as the original and authentic ending of Mark’s
Gospel. If that is the case, then the Gospel of Mark ends with the fear and
awe of silent wonder – as the women flee from the tomb, with fear and amazement
and tell no one their story! In some respects, this Gospel lectionary reading
does not meet the expectations of Easter worshippers, for the joyful and
triumphant celebration of Jesus’ resurrection is absent and instead we have
silence! This is a useful corrective to other Gospel passages and a reminder
that part of our response to the momentous events of Holy Week and Easter
might well be the silence of wonder and awe. The Easter season lasts for
fifty days – there is time for silent wonder and reflective solitude, rather
than moving too quickly to demonstrative praise and confident proclamation.
As you celebrate the Easter story, and reflect upon the significance of the
crucified and risen Christ, I hope and pray, that you will find time for
silence and contemplation and allow the revelation of God’s presence to
unfold slowly, graciously, and creatively, With peace and blessings, Julian. Monday 6th May - Royston May
Fayre - 12noon to 4.30pm.
We will have our plant stall in the Priory Gardens as usual, so if you have
any plants to sell please speak to Jeff Maddin or Joan Germany. On our
other stall we will be selling home-made preserves and savoury bakes.
We cannot sell cakes this year, so thinking caps on for all sorts of savoury
goods that don't need to be refrigerated on the day. There are sign-up
sheets on the notice board for this and also for helpers on the day.
Thank you, Joan Munden High
Vis Jackets - If you
have borrowed the High Viz Jackets from the office, could you please return
them a.s.a.p. Home-Start Aquathon – Sunday 28th April – 7pm - Royston
Leisure Centre – Home-Start are hosting this annual event,
helping local organisations raise funds. The church team will again be
raising funds for the youth work of the church, First Friends, Messy Church
and the holiday club. 50% of funds raised by the team goes to Home-Start, 50%
to the Church. Last year the team
raised an amazing £810 for the Church through this fundraising event – can we
beat this total this year? If you
would like to donate to this fundraiser, please donate here https://visufund.com/aquathon-2024-royston-methodist-church
or see Laura at church as
she has a paper sponsorship form for Izzy who is swimming for the team. Castle
Street Methodist Church in Cambridge has taken part in the Wild in Art trail - happening this year with a stained-glass
window inspired design hand-painted onto a five foot giraffe statue that is
now out in the wild with over 90 other giraffes (some of which decorated by
local well known artists). This is a first for Cambridge as previous art
trails have not featured church communities before (only religious schools)
and is one of many ways we here in Cambridge are trying to share the love and
the good news. Art can play a role in expressing and exploring core Methodist
values, as well as fostering spiritual reflection and connection. From hymns
to visual art – such as a sculpture – the Methodist tradition has a rich
history of incorporating artistic expression into worship and outreach. By
embracing creativity and collaboration, we can continue to make a meaningful
contribution to the wider Church and the world around us. For 2024, Wild in Art
returns to Cambridge with a fleet of giraffes, representing the city’s
diversity and culture – and Castle Street Methodist Church will be on the map
too with its very own mini-giraffe!
Circuit Service - Sunday 19th May - At Chesterton Methodist Church -
5pm with tea and cake beforehand.
The service will include Holy Communion. All welcome. Phil Howie will be
gathering musicians and singers to form a group to accompany the service. If
you would like to volunteer, please let Phil know by the end of April so he can arrange and print parts for
any instruments. Rough plans would be a rehearsal the week before (12.5.24
tbc in the afternoon or at a convenient time for those participating) mostly
for instrumentalists but singers also welcome. No auditions all welcome.
Please contact Phil on philip.howie@gmail.com or send a message via Miriam at
the circuit email office@cambridgemethodist.org.uk if you would like to be
involved. Please
remember in your prayers – anyone who is ill or going through a
difficult time for any reason. We
think especially of those being cared for at home or residential care and for
Joyce Goodall who is back at home following a stay in hospital. Mums' group - we are now meeting
weekly, 9.15am-11.15am, Tuesday mornings in one another's homes. There is
coffee, toys for the little ones, a chance to chat through a passage of the
Bible and to pray. For details of the meeting location, please contact Ellie
Browne – elbrowne15@gmail.com time for any reason. Climate Action Now – CAN ‘Take one tiny action at a time’ Think
about planting a tree or shrub in your garden this Spring Giving
to Royston Methodist Church - We do not normally take
collections at our services. Most people give regularly by standing
order or monthly cheque; please see the Treasurer (Nick Keep) or Gift Aid
Secretary (Sue Walter) if you wish to use this route. If you are a
visitor or do not wish to give regularly you can put a donation in the basket
for coffee donations after the service, put a donation in a Gift Aid envelope
found in the box on the back of some of the chairs and give to a steward
(you do not need to fill in the Gift Aid bit if you do not want) or ask a
steward to enable you to make a donation by card or phone on our card
machine. If you felt appropriate we would appreciate if you
could distribute details of this forthcoming service Sunday
12th May - Wesley House Cambridge are
delighted to invite you to the welcome service for the Revd Nicola Vidamour who has been appointed as
Director of Reflective Pastoral Supervision for Wesley House from 1st May,
2024.We begin with worship at Wesley
Church, Christ’s Pieces at 4.00pm. The service will be
led by the Cambridge Circuit Superintendent, the Revd Rose Westwood, and
Wesley House's Principal, The Revd Dr Jane Leach, will be the preacher.
Afterwards you are invited for refreshments and fellowship in the Dining Room
of Wesley House. The event is free but please sign up for the tea so
that we can cater appropriately – CLICK
HERE. Donations will be for the Brian E Beck
Memorial Fund for the development and teaching of Methodist theology. Rose Westwood Dates for Your Diary Sunday
28th April - 2.30pm – Civic Service for our Royston Town Mayor,
Cllr Lisa Adams to be hosted by our church. A Service of thanksgiving celebrating
Lisa’s year working for and within the community. We will be providing
refreshments following the service and offers of help and contributions for
the buffet would be greatly appreciated.
Please see Gill Grainger or Janet Blair. Saturday 4th, Sunday 5th and Monday 6th
May - Histon Methodist Church’s Quilt and Flower Festival – donations received
for Histon Methodist Church and Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital. Monday
6th May - Royston May Fayre - 12noon to 4.30pm. Tuesday 7th
May 2pm – Stewards Meeting N.B.
Change of Date Sunday 12th
May - 12.30pm – Sunday
Lunch - at Church. Main course, choice of desserts followed by tea and
coffee. Full portion £12, half portion £8, under 5s free and high chairs are
available. Please book your place by
signing the booking sheet or contact Jennie Harris - 230021 or Gill Grainger
- 242682. If you have any food allergies,
please let us know when booking. U U U Church Stewards: Gill & Geoff Grainger, James Hindley, Safeguarding Officer: Gill Grainger Circuit
Safeguarding Officer: Elsie Salmon
Facebook – we
have a facebook page for the Church at facebook.com/roystonmethodist ********* |
