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)
Churchwarden: Mr Alex Brockhurst
Tel: 07792 544259.; Email: churchwarden@paghamchurch.org
Churchwarden: Mr Mike Wake
Tel: 07899 705632; Email: churchwarden@paghamchurch.org
Safeguarding Officer: Mrs Jan Brockhurst
Email: safeguarding@paghamchurch.org
Find us online: www.paghamchurch.org // @StThomasPagham
Registered charity number 1134842
SUNDAY 26th FEBRuary 2023
first sunday of LENT
Sunday 26th 08:00 Holy Communion (St Richard’s only)
LENT 1 09:30 Parish Eucharist
17:30 Stations of the Cross (Pagham Church) Monday 27th 09:00 Morning Prayer
George Herbert 19:30 Lent Group 1 (Mosse Hall Committee Rm)
Tuesday 28th 17:30 Evening Prayer (Zoom)
19:00 TUESDAY@7
Wednesday 1st March 11:00- 12:00 Lent Group 1
St David (St Andrew’s Chapel Pagham)
17:30 Evening Prayer (Zoom)
Thursday 2nd 12:00- 14:00 Christian Aid Lent Lunch
St Chad (Pagham Parish Church Centre, Nyetimber Lane)
Friday 3rd No public services
Saturday 4th 10:00- 11:00 Lent Workshop- Intercessions
(Mosse Hall Committee Room)
Sunday 5th 08:00 Holy Communion (Pagham and Aldwick)
LENT 2 09:30 Parish Family Eucharist
17:30 Stations of the Cross (St Richard’s)
Hymns
Entrance: 190 Forty days and forty nights
Gradual: 310 I heard the voice of Jesus say
Offertory: 161 Father hear the prayer we offer
Final: 463 My song is love unknown
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.
The Collect (Opening Prayer) for the First Sunday of Lent:
Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,
and was tempted as we are, yet without sin: give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit; and, as you know our weakness, so may we know your power to save; 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. Amen.
Old Testament reading: Genesis 2: 15- 17; 3: 1- 7.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Psalm 32 the response to the psalm is “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
New Testament reading: Romans 5: 12- 19
Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned—sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgement following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Gospel reading: Matthew 4: 1- 11
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ’
Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Prayers of Intercession
The sick and those who care for them: Rosie Sims, Terry Haskell, Barbara Crew, Karen Cox, Jim Fowler, Sheila King, Dawn Spurway Pearson, Nicola Simpson, Betty Smith, Mike Hatzfeld, Andrew Naylor, Colin May, Tyler Rankin, Max Davey, Leslie Francis, Dickie Roots, Colin Wood, Elizabeth, Pam Browning.
Recently departed: Richard Jeffery
Anniversary of death: Alan Faulkner, Edith Warren (26th); Ernest Cornell, Audrey Nicholls (27th);
Lilian Hamerton (28th); Alan Dalrymple, Phyllis Burrow (1st March); Michael Fielder, Ronald Bosher (3rd); Margaret Bell, Douglas Pennicott (4th).
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.
For urgent prayer, contact Gillian Purvis (267597) or Pat Rush (262561) to start the Prayer Chain.
Post Communion Prayer Lord God, you have renewed us with the living bread from heaven; by it you nourish our faith, increase our hope, and strengthen our love:
teach us always to hunger for him who is the true and living bread, and enable us to live by every word that proceeds from out of your mouth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Next week’s readings: Second Sunday of Lent
Genesis12: 1- 4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4: 1- 5; 13- 17; John 3: 1- 17.
Richard Jeffery A service of thanksgiving for Richard’s life will take place at St Richard’s Church, on Friday 3rd March at 12:30pm (following a private family funeral at Chichester Crematorium), all are welcome to attend.
Pancake Party Thank you to all those who came and enjoyed the pancake party on Shrove Tuesday and to those who helped to make the event such a success- we well and truly feasted before the Lenten fast began!
Lent, Holy Week and Easter 2023 Please pick-up a flyer which outlines all our Lent, Holy Week and Easter services, study groups, and invitations to prayer. This year, in an attempt to make all events as accessible as possible there is a combination of offerings day/ evening/ weekend – at St Richard’s and St Thomas à Becket. Please know that you are welcome at all sessions- no need to sign-up, all sessions are drop-in.
Breakfast Club meets on Wednesday 1st March 2023 at 09.30hrs at Pagham Beach café. The cost of breakfast at Pagham Beach café is between £7.00 and £11.00. Any queries please contact Alex Brockhurst 07792544259.
Christian Aid Lent Lunches In aid of Christian Aid we will be hosting ‘Lent Lunches’ at the Pagham Parish Church Centre, Nyetimber Lane, on the Thursdays in Lent 12:00- 14:00(March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th). Warming soup lunch with bread roll, teas and coffees and a warm welcome! Bring a friend. Pay what you feel… this means you might only feel able to pay £1… or you might feel able to pay £10. Knowing that you can enjoy a warm meal and company, or that you are enabling someone else to enjoy these in the difficult financial times some are facing at the moment, and adding to our offering to Christian Aid. Sue O’Neill will be co-ordinating these lunches, if you would like to help her, please do contact her on suesdesignservices@gmail.com / 07867 904 780.
Lent Workshops will be on offer for the following church activities during Lent: Intercessions (4th March), Reading of Holy Scripture in church (11th March); Lay Ministers of Communion (18th March); Daily Prayer (25th March). All at 10-11am in the Committee Room, Mosse Hall, St Richard’s Church. These sessions are designed for those already participating in these ministries as a refresher, and also for those who are interested in knowing more, with a view to possibly starting to be involved with this in the future. Sessions are open to all, from both Pagham and Aldwick. If you would like more information or to express interest, please speak to Mthr Lucy.
Pagham Luncheon Club The Pagham Luncheon Club returns on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from the 15th of March open to all residents of the parish and friends. 12:00- 14:00 at St Ninians for a lunch provided by The Bear and good company, at £9 per head. The Pagham Minibus is available for lifts to this gathering. For more information and book-in please call Jean Hunt on 01243 268 818.
St Richard’s Quiz Night with Fish & Chip supper Our friends at St Richard’s invite us to join them on Friday 17th March for a Quiz Night with Fish & Chip supper. This promises to be a great event to share with friends and family. This is the Friday evening before Mothering/ Refreshment Sunday, so an evening to look forward to at the half-way point of our Lenten journey! Tickets £10 per person, available from Jane Thomson 01243 263 640 or Angela Purser 07947 051 535 // angelapurser1@yahoo.co.uk. Maximum team size 8.