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Announcements from St Mark's
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This page contains the recent announcements made on the St Mark's mailing list. To join the list, please put your email address in the box on the right and click the button.
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Recent Postings
| Date: | 1/10/08 |
| Subject: | Harvest Festival |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
October means "Harvest"; well, it means lots of other things too but it certainly means that and it is one of the highlights of the church year.
It's an opportunity to stop for a moment and remember the good things with which God has blessed us, to thank God for His Creation and to commit ourselves to striving for a world that is more fair and just.
Our Harvest Festival Service is this Sunday October 5th at 10am. Please bring gifts of tinned and dried foods as well as toiletries. The Wimbledon Guild will be distributing our offerings to people in need in our local community.
The service will be followed by a Harvest Curry Lunch (with alternatives for those who don't get on with curry) which will be in aid of USPG the Anglican Missionary society who do great work on our behalf throughout the world. If you haven't already informed us that you are coming please let me know so that we can cater for you too.
Wishing you all God's blessings,
Richard
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| Date: | 11/9/08 |
| Subject: | Forthcoming events at St. Mark's |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
Welcome to everyone after the summer break. What summer? I hear you ask!
Nevertheless, we are into another busy season at St. Mark's and I just wanted to let you know about a few of the forthcoming services and other events.
This Sunday, September 14th, in addition to the usual 8am and 10am services there is a Come & Celebrate Service at 11.30am which is designed particularly for families with primary aged children. The service is entitled "A Banquet for All".
Next Sunday, September 21st, there is a Healing and Wholeness service in the evening at 6.30pm. All are welcome and not just those who are unwell in any way. It is a chance to be quiet and reflect as well as to pray for any who we know are ill and who we want to commend to God. There will be an opportunity for the laying on of hands for healing too.
There is a full programme of all the services and events at St. Mark's available from the foyer of the church.
I would also like to take the opportunity to announce the arrival of two new babies to the St. Mark's family: Lauryn Coppin is the new daughter for Andrew and Claire and Alice Martin the new addition for Alex and Will. Congratualtions to both of these families.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Richard Sewell
Vicar
Best wishes,
Richard
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| Date: | 10/7/08 |
| Subject: | Church Picnic this Sunday |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
Summer is here despite all the rain and the holiday season is nearly underway.
At St. Mark's we are marking the end of term with a special Come & Celebrate service at 11.30am this Sunday. Weather permitting we will hold the service outside in the garden and with the Olympics nearly upon us we have a topical theme: "Joining God's Olympic Team".
Afterwards we will hold our own mini olympics with relays, egg and spoon and relay races. Perhaps there will be an adults 20m dash too!
This will be followed by a picnic so bring along all your favourite picnic food. There will be a big BBQ there so if you bring your bbq food, we will cook it for you. Drinks will be provided.
It will be a great day - especially if the rain holds off for an hour or too so do join us and enjoy a fun time together before many of us disappear for the summer.
The usual 8am and 10am services will still take place.
Rev'd Richard Sewell
Vicar |
| Date: | 18/6/08 |
| Subject: | Events at St. Mark's Wimbledon |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
I hope you are enjoying the summer season as we approach the fun that is Wimbledon fortnight.
As ever, there is lots going on at St. Mark's but I wanted to highlight just a few upcoming events.
This Sunday at the 10am service we will be thinking about how we can equip our church for the challenges and opportunities ahead. The service is entitled "Planning for Growth". We will be considering our vision for the future and how each person can support the church with their time, resources and talents. If you do miss the service this week then we will summarise the following week and there will be printed material for everyone to take home and consider.
On Sunday 29th June at 6.30pm we have one of our occasional Evening Services. It is entitled "We have a gospel to proclaim" and I think you would enjoy the different format and quieter atmosphere. The choir have been putting in a lot of practice so I hope you will consider coming along to it especially if you haven't been to an evening service before.
Finally, on the last Sunday before all the schools break up, Sunday 13 July in addition to our usual services at 8am and 10am there will be an 11.30am Come & Celebrate Service which will be followed by a picnic in the Church Garden. The service will have an Olympics theme and after the picnic we will run our own "Mini Olympics". It will be great fun. Do come along and bring friends too.
With all good wishes,
Richard
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| Date: | 30/4/08 |
| Subject: | Latest news from St. Mark's |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
This Sunday in addition to our usual 8am and 10am services we have our regular 11.30am service now called "Come & Celebrate" which is a service designed especially for families with younger children.
This Sunday the service theme is "God's Spirit Comes" and as usual will be fun and lively to keep everyone involved.
I am also delighted to announce that Sarah and Tulo Raistrick have a new baby: Greg Amos Raistrick was born on April 9th and weighed in at a healthy 8lb 11oz. Mum and the boys are all doing very well. Congratulations to them.
With all good wishes
Richard
PS Don't forget to visit our website to keep up to date with news and information www.stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
| Date: | 15/3/08 |
| Subject: | Holy Week |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
We are on the brink of entering what is usually considered to be the most important period of the church's year. So special we call it "Holy Week". At St. Mark's we maintain many of the traditional services and practices that have been observed by churches all over the world for many, many centuries. I hope that you will be able to join us for as many of these as your own schedule will allow.
We begin with Palm Sunday. Our service begins, for those who are able, at 10am outside Tescos in the town centre for a joint service with other churches. After the reading, hymns and prayers we process up the Broadway back to St. Mark's. Part of the psecial fun of Palm Sunday for us is that we have a donkey as our "special guest" to help us to remember Jesus's humble means of arriving in the great city of Jerusalem. Once we have returned we celebrate the Eucharist together. After the service there is an opportunity for donkey rides (for the children, of course) in our garden. Please could children bring a suitable helmet.
The other services for Holy Week are:
Monday 8pm - Holy Week Meditation & Eucharist
Tuesday 8pm - Holy Week Meditation & Eucharist
Wednesday 8pm - Stations of the Cross & Eucharist
Thursday 8pm - Liturgy of the Foot Washing including Eucharist
followed by a prayer Vigil in the
Chapel til midnight (stay as long as you are able)
Good Friday 11.45 - 1pm Children's Activities in the Church Hall
12pm - 3pm "Seeing & Believing" meditations on the life
and death of Jesus using art.
Holy Saturday - 10am onwards Decorating the Church for Easter. All
help with this is very much appreciated.
Easter Day 5.30am Dawn Service followed by champagne breakfast.
10am Easter Day Eucharist for all ages.
Please do try to come to as many of these services as you can, to help you fully to experience Christ's journey to the Cross and the joy of resurrection which we celebrate at Easter.
I send this with my very best wishes for a Happy Easter!
Richard
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| Date: | 6/2/08 |
| Subject: | Lent at St. Mark's |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
How will you try to make this a holy Lent?
Traditionally Lent has been a period of self-denial and deepening of faith through study. Latterly sometimes Christians have taken a different tack and taken up something positive. In a sense it is less important what one chooses to do for Lent but it is important to do something that helps us to strengthen our relationship with God.
I have taken up a challenge to live for a week on the sort of budget and food supplies that a refugee might endure when they are made destitute by the government's policy for people who are refused asylum. It is going to be very demanding but as Chair of Merton Refugee Support Group it seems important to be able to identify with the people that we are trying to help. You might have your own reasons for also taking up this challenge or doing something else - there are dozens of interesting ideas that might help you to learn something important this Lent.
We have lots going on this Lent to help you to mark a holy Lent:
Our Lent Talks are on Wednesdays at 8pm in Church on the theme of Love One Another. We have got some excellent speakers leading these so do please support this if you can.
We are doing Bible Study every Monday in Church at 1pm looking at different characters in the Bible who encounter Jesus.
There is an early morning Eucharist at 7.30am every Tuesday through Lent.
I have also recommended two books for reading in Lent:
"Life the Universe and Everything" by David Wilkinson (Inspire)
- This fascinating clergy-scientist offers 42 Meditations for Lent and Beyond on a wide range of contemporary subjects.
"Adam's Dream - Human Longings and the Love of God" by Keith Jones (Mowbray)
The Dean of York Minster reflects on the meaning of hope for today drawing on art, architecture and theology.
I hope that whatever way you choose to mark Lent this year that it helps you to grow in faith and to encounter Christ in the reality of today's world.
With very best wishes for blessed and holy Lent.
Yours as ever,
Richard
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| Date: | 26/1/08 |
| Subject: | All Age Service at St. Mark's |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
In our Advent, Christmas and Epiphany Programme we wrongly publicised that there would be an All-Age Service on Sunday 27th January. Actually this service will be next Sunday 3rd February at 11.30am. The theme of the service is Jonah and the Whale. There will be the usual songs, prayers and activities and the usual fun.
All are welcome. We will have the usual Communion Services at 8am and 10am too.
You may also like to know that there will be a Children's Pancake Party on, surprisingly, Shrove Tuesday 5th February at 4pm in St. Mark's Church Hall (entrance on Compton Road).
On the following day, Ash Wednesday, there will a Service of Ashing at 12.30 (lunchtime) and also at 8pm. It's the best way to start Lent. Please do join us.
With all good wishes,
Richard
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| Date: | 10/1/08 |
| Subject: | More News from St. Mark's |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
Just a short note to request help from any who can for the tidy up of the church after Christmas - putting away the decs, hoovering up pine needles etc. We will do this between 10am and 12pm (if we're lucky) this Saturday 12 January. If you can spare an hour or more, that would be very much appreciated.
Please also put in your diaries the next All Age Service which was put down in the calendar as Sunday January 27 but actually will be a week later on Sunday 3rd Feb at 11.30am.
You might also like to know that we are having a Children's Pancake Party on Shrove Tuesday 5th Feb after school at 4pm in the Church Hall. This will be great fun as it was two years ago so do come along and invite your friends.
With all good wishes in this Christmas Season!
Richard |
| Date: | 4/1/08 |
| Subject: | Latest news from St. Mark's |
| From: | richard.sewell@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk |
I would like to wish you a very Happy New Year!
I do hope that you enjoyed the Christmas celebrations wherever you were and that you have escaped the worst of the nasty bugs doing the rounds.
I just wanted to let you know the latest news on activities at St. Mark's. This Saturday, Jan 5th is the church trip to the panto. More than 70 of us are going and if that includes you can I ask you to get there in very good time for a 2pm start to enable us to sort out all the seating arrangements. If you have not bought tickets but would like to come we still have a couple going begging. Phone Sarah Ainsworth on 8540 1884.
This Sunday (Jan 6)is the Feast of the Epiphany and as usual there will be the 8am and 10am services. In addition there is an 11.30 All Age Service followed by a Children's Party. This is a great occasion so I hope you will be able to come along. Do please feel free to invite any friends who might like to come too.
With best wishes,
Richard
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