St Thomas à Becket
Pews News
Priest-in-Charge: The Reverend Lucy Sullivan
Tel: 01243 941 551 Email: mthrlucy.pagham@gmail.com (Rest day: Friday)
Licensed Lay Minister: Mrs Rosemary Towse
Email: rosemarytowse@talktalk.net
Churchwarden: Mr Alex Brockhurst
Tel: 07792 544259; Email: alex.brockhurst@hotmail.co.uk
Churchwarden: Mrs Sue O’Neill
Tel: 07867 904780; Email: suesdesignservices@gmail.com
Safeguarding Officer: Mrs Jan Brockhurst
Email: safeguarding@paghamchurch.org
Find us online: www.paghamchurch.org // StThomasPagham@gmail.com// @StThomasPagham
Registered charity number 1134842
SUNDAY 25th FEBrUaRY 2024
Second SUNDAY of LENT
Sunday 25th 08:00 Holy Communion (Aldwick)
Lent 2 09:30 Parish Eucharist followed by coffee
17:30 Stations of the Cross (Aldwick)
Monday 26th 09:00 Morning Prayer (Pagham)
11:00 ‘Broken’ Lent Course 2 – (Pagham)
15:00 MU Wave of Prayer and Afternoon Tea
Tuesday 27th 10:00 Eucharist (Aldwick)
George Herbert 17:30 Evening Prayer (Zoom)
19:00 Tuesday@7 (Pagham)
Wednesday 28th 17:30 Evening Prayer (Zoom)
Thursday 29th 09:00 Morning Prayer (Pagham)
10:00 Holy Communion (Pagham)
12noon – 13:15 Lent Lunch (Pagham Church Centre)
17:30 Evening Prayer (Aldwick)
19.30 ‘Broken’ Lent Course 3
(Mosse Hall Committee Room)
Friday 1st No public services today
St David
Saturday 2nd No public services today
St Chad
Sunday 3rd 08:00 Holy Communion (Aldwick)
Lent 3 09:30 Parish Eucharist (not family eucharist)
17:30 Stations of the Cross (Pagham)
The Collection plate– If you would like to make an offering, please use the contactless Payaz machine or the collection plate, both can be found by the door. Thank you for your generosity.
HYMNS
Introit: 70 Be thou my vision
Gradual: 511 How great Thou art
Offertory: 756 Ye servants of God
Final: 221 God is working his purpose out
The Collect (Opening Prayer) for the Second Sunday of Lent: Almighty God, you show to those who are in error the light of your truth, that they may return to the way of righteousness: grant to all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion, that they may reject those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament reading: Genesis 17: 1- 7; 15- 16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him,‘ As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’
Psalm 22: 23- end The response to the psalm is as announced.
New Testament Reading: Romans 4: 13- end
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall your descendants be.’ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Gospel Reading: Mark 8: 31- end
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’
Prayers of Intercession
The sick and those who care for them: Barbara & Alan Crew, Karen Cox, Sheila King, Dawn Spurway Pearson, Mike Hatzfeld, Elizabeth, Pam Browning, Lucia, Jessie Hutchins, Jeanne Dalton, Bea Tucker, Tony, Charles Paterson.
Recently departed:
Anniversary of death: Alan Faulkner, Edith Warren (26th); Ernest Cornell, Audrey Nicholls, Sandy Sell (27th); Lilian Hamerton (28th); Alan Dalrymple, Phyllis Burrow (1st March); Gladys McCleland (2nd).
We pray for peace and especially for and with the people of Ukraine. We pray for all those caught up in conflict, and for those seeking safety and refuge on these shores.
We pray for the people of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. For the peace of the Holy Land. For those who will weep, and fear, and die this day.
For urgent prayer, contact Gillian Purvis (267597) or Pat Rush (262561) to start the Prayer Chain.
Post Communion Prayer: Almighty God, you see that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Next week’s readings: Third Sunday of Lent
Exodus 20: 1- 17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1: 18- 25; John 2: 13- 22.
Guest speaker and charity cake sale
This Sunday we welcome Harriet Crow and her friend Lily to tell us more about ‘Grass Roots’ a charity that works in Tanzania, which Bishop Luffa School support. Harriet and Lily are raising awareness for Grass Roots, and funds for their mission trip later this year. They will be holding a cake sale after the 09:30 service on Sunday 25th February, don’t forget your purses!
Chilli & Bingo
Ticket’s for Harriet and Lily’s fundraising ‘Chilli & Bingo’ night at the Church Centre on Saturday 9th March, can be bought here www.ticketsource.co.uk/lily-and-harriet-fundraiser
Annual Revision of the Electoral Roll – Please read
In accordance with CofE Rules and Regulations the Annual Revision of the Electoral Roll will take place between February 19th (28 days before the APCM) and March 3rd (15 days before the APCM) when it is closed until after the APCM. Representations re additions, deletions, change of address etc to be made to the Electoral Roll Officer, Margaret Sherwood: tel. 01243 262 367 // margaret.sherwood@outlook.com. The revised Roll will be published after the APCM.
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting
The APCM will take place on Wednesday 20th March at 19:30, in St Andrew’s Chapel. You are very welcome to attend as we review and give thanks for the activity of Pagham church in 2023. Reports for the Annual report should be sent to MO for the deadline this weekend, please.
If you are interested in standing for election on the PCC, please speak to Mthr Lucy or the Wardens to find out more about this way of serving the church community.
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross have formed part of Christian devotion during Lent for many centuries because they enable us to engage actively with the path of suffering walked by Jesus. They originated when early Christians visited Jerusalem and wanted to follow literally in the footsteps of Jesus, tracing the path from Pilate’s house to Calvary. They would pause for prayer and devotion at various points, it’s still possible to walk this path today. Eventually those pilgrims brought the practice back to their home countries and ever since then Christians of differing traditions have used this form of devotion.
You welcome to join in the Stations of the Cross on Sundays in Lent- this week (25th Feb.) at 17:30 at St Richard’s Church, Aldwick. No prior experience needed, or wet weather gear- our pilgrimage takes around on a spiritual journey inside the church.
Lent Lunches
Join us for Soup Stop lunches during Lent, the opportunity for good food and company will return on Thursdays: 29th February and 7th, 14th and 21st March at the Pagham Parish Church Centre, Nyetimber Lane. 12noon- 1:15pm. Join us for a warm welcome, soup and a roll, and tea & coffee. Why not invite a friend to join you?
Mothers’ Union Wave of Prayer
On Monday 26th February the diocese of Chichester Mothers’ Union will be prayed for around the world. In celebration of this Mothers’ Union members and all those interested in learning more about the MU are invited to Mthr Lucy’s home for prayer and afternoon tea at 3pm. All welcome.
Winter Warmer Lunch
The Friends of Pagham Church are hosting a Winter Warmer Lunch on Saturday 2nd March – 12.30 at The Pagham Church Centre. Two-course meal – £12. Please sign on the sign-up sheet on the notice board in church. For details – Carole Druce 07732768890