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 5th march 2023
second sunday of LENT
Sunday 5th 08:00 Holy Communion
LENT 2 09:30 Parish Family Eucharist
17:30 Stations of the Cross (St Richard’s Church) Monday 6th 09:00 Morning Prayer (Church)
19:30 Lent Group 2 (Mosse Hall Committee Rm)
Tuesday 7th 19:00 Tuesday@7 Eucharist
Ss Perpetua & Felicity 17:30 Evening Prayer (Zoom)
Wednesday 8th 11:00- 12:00 Lent Group 2
St. Edward King (Pagham Parish Church Centre, Nyetimber Lane)
14:30- 16:00 Tea & Chat
(Pagham Parish Church Centre, Nyetimber Lane)
17:30 Evening Prayer (Zoom)
Thursday 9th 09:00 Morning Prayer (Church)
10:00 Holy Communion
12:00- 14:00 Christian Aid Lent Lunch
(Pagham Parish Church Centre, Nyetimber Lane)
Friday 10th No public services today
Saturday 11th 10:00 Lent Workshop (Mosse Hall Committee Rm)
Sunday 12th 08:00 Holy Communion (St Richard’s Church)
LENT 3 09:30 Parish Eucharist
17:30 Stations of the Cross (Pagham Church)
Hymns
Entrance: 590 Seek ye first
Gradual: 374 Just as I am
Offertory: 437 Make me a channel of your peace
Final: 298 I am a new creation (x2)
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 Second Sunday of Lent:
Almighty God, by the prayer and discipline of Lent may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings, and by following in his Way come to share in his glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old Testament reading: Genesis 12: 1- 4a
The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.
Psalm 121 the response to the psalm is “My help comes from the Lord.”
New Testament reading: Romans 4: 1- 5; 13- 17
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. 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.
Gospel reading: John 3: 1- 17
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through 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, Elizabeth, Pam Browning.
Recently departed: David Lewis-Bowen
Anniversary of death: Frank Stedman, Dorothy Tapping, Olive Lewis, Irene Plumb (5th);
Roland Hunt (6th); Ronald Knight (7th); Jessie Towler, Lilian Gilham (8th); Gladys Halling (9th); Betty Wadlow, Joyce Winfield (10th); Norman Williams, Robert Upton, Neville Purdy, Cynthia Brown (11th).
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 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 17: -7; Psalm 95; Romans 5: 1- 11; John 4: 5- 42.
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.
Christian Aid Lent Lunches At Pagham Parish Church Centre, Nyetimber Lane, on the Thursdays in Lent 12:00- 14:00 (March 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.
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.
Churchyard It’s that time of year again. We are having a session in the churchyard on Saturday 4th March, starting at 9.30am until about lunchtime for mowing, strimming and a general tidy up. If you are free please come along to help. Please contact churchwardens Alex or Mike for more details (contact details on front page).
Friends of Pagham Church AGM will take place on Sunday 12th March in St Andrew’s Chapel at 3pm. All are welcome. Please consider joining the committee: there is sign-up sheet on the notice board.
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. Final date for booking tickets is Wednesday 8th March.
Being With- Course Exploring Christian Faith and Life After Easter we will be running a course for those exploring the Christian faith, devised and created by Samuel Wells and Sally Hitchiner of St Martin-in-the-Fields. The course is a introduction to Christianity with a difference. “At its heart ‘Being With’ has the idea that God’s greatest desire is to be with us in Jesus. Grounded in the conviction that we already have a wealth of understanding of truth, beauty and goodness that signify God’s presence in our lives and everyday experiences, it aims to enable participants to discover dimensions of this presence and to live abundantly with God, with one another and with creation.
Sessions are likely to run on Monday evenings 19:30- 21:00, and at present I am seeking those who might be interested in help run the course- whether as a leader or as someone who can help with the hospitality and welcome at sessions. Could this be you? If so, please speak with Mthr Lucy. Details will follow for those who might like to participate- either for you, or for someone you know who is keen to explore the faith.
Urgently needed this week: Durable plastics bags, 1ltr UHT Fruit Juice, 1ltr UHT Milk, Tinned Fruit, Pasta Sauce, Tinned Fish, Tinned Custard, Tinned Rice Pudding, Pasta, Tinned Meat, Cereal, Shampoo/ Conditioner, Nappies- size 4/5.