Faith Hope and Love

Every week Anona Griffin updates the display in the entrance lobby to St Paul's. With very little going on this week, she felt God leading her to highlight these Christian virtues, which are very important at this time. A Faith that this is God's world, and we are his people, Hope that as always, God has a purpose in this troubled Situation, and Love, the knowledge that God loves us. He wants us to love Him and to show his love to others; she particularly thought of 1 Thessalonians 5:8 "let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet."
There is an encouraging new video from Martyn Snow, Bishop of Leicester here.

Update - Tuesday 31st March

Dear Friends,

 

I hope this finds you all well.

In my video on Sunday I made reference in my prayers to some people who had come to faith in the face of this pandemic. Here is the story, a testimony by Dr Julian Urban a 38 year-old doctor in Lombardy 
Up until two weeks ago, my colleagues and I were atheists…I always laughed at my parents when they went to church. Nine days ago, a 75-year-old pastor came to us for medical help. He had grave respiratory problems, but he had a Bible with him and it impressed us that he was reading the Bible to the people who were dying and holding their hands.

We were all tired, discouraged doctors, psychologically and physically spent, and so we found that we were listening to him... We realized that we have reached the limits of what man can do. We need God, and we have begun to ask for his help, when we have a few moments free. We cannot believe that we who were fierce atheists are now seeking for interior peace by asking the Lord to help us...

The 75-year old pastor [has now] died. Despite the fact that in the last three weeks we have had over 120 people die in our unit, and we are all exhausted and feel destroyed, he succeeded, despite his own condition and our own difficulties, to bring us a PEACE that we no longer hoped to find.

The testimony was gathered by Gianni Giardinelli and translated by Giuseppe Pellegrino.

 

I want to finish today with the words of Psalm 46 below

Every blessing

Steve

 

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Sunday 29th March 2020 Service

Update - Friday 27th March

Dear Friends,

I hope that you are continuing to stay well.

I had another letter earlier this week from the Archbishops saying that all churches are now closed even for private prayer and filming. So we are hoping to produce another video for this Sunday which will come either from outside church or from my study! It will be on the same channel as last week https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHK8EZFozeGcWE3mQpTVYJw/playlists

Also on the You Tube channel you can see a brief assembly that Lou recorded. We should have been going into Manor High School next week for Easter assemblies. You can watch the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09yPVc84c_s

Anita is continuing to send out a weekly News Sheet, she has added names onto her list, if you don’t get it by email and would like to be added to the list please be in touch with Anita.

This Sunday we were due to be having a presentation as part of the service from Jews for Jesus about Christ in the Passover. You can watch the presentation on line where it is being live streamed. See here for details https://jewsforjesus.org/christ-in-the-passover-online

A last link to send to you, Oadby & Wigston Borough Council are coordinating a volunteer response which you can register for either to help out or if you are in nee, see the details here https://www.oadby-wigston.gov.uk/pages/community_hub_coronavirus_covid_19

Keeping you all in my prayers. Do be in touch if there is anything specific I can be praying for you.

Every blessing

Steve

Update - 24th March

Dear Friends,

 

Firstly, can I say a big thank you to all those who have been in touch to share there thoughts about the video service on Sunday. I am delighted to know that it was well received and pleased that we have found a way to be ‘united’ in worship despite being apart from each other. If anyone has any feedback or thoughts or ideas as to what would be helpful to include please do let me know. One suggestion was if people wanted to choose a song to be included in the playlist and share why they have chosen it we could include this in the video, so if you have a favourite song suggestion please let me know.

 

I am pleasantly surprised by the number of people who have watched the video, far more than we have in church each week. This is because a number of you have told with me that you have shared a link to the video with neighbours, family and friends. Please continue to do this as we have good news to share and hope in the gospel which is much needed at this time.

 

At the end of last week I was reminded in conversation with someone about the importance of thankfulness. At this time when we are being forced to slow down and have more time to reflect let us choose to be people who are thankful for all that God has blessed us with. Victor Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from us but one thing: the freedom to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances.” Can I encourage us to choose an attitude of gratitude especially at this time.

 

I am still using Morning Prayer to pray day by day and intercede at this time. If you have any prayer requests then please do send them to me and I will include them. Let us all keep praying for one another at this time.

 

I don’t know if you have seen this story from a few days ago https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-51988671 but you could make a rainbow and put it up in your window. Angie and the boys have done so. More than just something for people to spot if they are out exercising the rainbow is a reminder of God’s covenant promise to us that he is always with us in each and every situation.

 

Lastly Jennifer Fabes’ son Jon has been organising a jigsaw swap around St Paul’s flats and has a number of jigsaws available if anyone would be interested in borrowing one. Please give him a call directly on 0791 7674009 if you are interested.

 

With my love and prayers

Steve

Mothering Sunday

Today is Mothering Sunday and here are the pot plants that we have distributed around our congregation. Normally we would have given them out in our service to all the ladies present. However, this is the first Sunday we have not been able to meet following government advice. Instead we have posted a virtual service on our You Tube channel which you can watch here

Update Sat 21st March

Dear Friends,

 

On Thursday Mohammad and his family moved into their new home in Great Glen and I called round to see them on Friday. Do keep them in your prayers as they unpack and settle in ready for Mohammad to begin work on 1st April. If anyone has a sofa they could donate to them then that would be welcome OR if anyone has a van and is willing to help them move one that they buy second hand do let me know.

 

Also on Friday I managed to ring round a number of St Paul’s folks who are not on email, do continue to keep in contact with each other in this way. Some of the Home Groups are staying in touch with each other via Whats App groups and two of them still managed to have a study this week making use of various technology!

 

This afternoon I recorded a virtual service for tomorrow which will be uploaded to this link https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKuue_0E3kVosjLNX6jrpNGSw8SvXKUdI There you will also find a recording of the sermon and a playlist of songs that had been chosen for the service. I want to encourage as many of us as possible to watch it together at 10am when we would normally be meeting. My thanks to Jordan and Samuel who have worked on this. We have also tried to provide something for our children and young people so that they are included as well, Angie & Lou have been working hard on this.

 

Do also take part in the National Call to Prayer tomorrow at 7pm by lighting a candle, placing it in your window and praying for the nation at this time.

 

Here are some daily quarantine questions that were sent to me and I pass onto you

1. What am I Grateful for today?

2. Who am I Checking in on or Connecting with today?

3. What expectations of ‘normal’ am I Letting go of today?

4. How am I Getting Outside today?

5. How an I Moving my body today?

6. What Beauty am I either creating, cultivating or inviting in today?

 

With my prayers

Steve

Update Wed 18th March

And here is an email I sent out on Wednesday 18th March

Dear Friends,

 

One of things we can do to help and support one another and show Christ’s love in action is to offer to help those in need at this time. There are some postcards available for free download on CPO’s website which you can pop through a neighbours door. Here is the link https://www.cpo.org.uk/product.aspx?prod=C6051FD&cat=80329&utm_source=Reach+%E2%80%93+the+CPO+Newsletter&utm_campaign=4bd98dd4b4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_17_10_12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_44b10271d2-4bd98dd4b4-423794145 or you could just use the details on it to produce your own.

 

Sunday is Mothering Sunday and we already have the pot plants! I would love to be able to distribute them to those who would have received them had we been meeting i.e. all the ladies in our congregation. If you are willing to come and collect some from outside church and drop them at peoples doors near to you please let me know. I don’t want them to go to waste!

 

The Archbishops are asking us all to place a lighted candle in our window at 7pm this Sunday, “as a sign of solidarity and hope in the light of Christ that can never be extinguished”. Can I encourage you to join in with this and make this a time to pray for our nation, for our leaders and for our NHS.

 

In addition to the many resources I mentioned in my last email, Songs of Praise is on each Sunday on BBC1 at 1.15pm and they also have some great clips, music and resources on their website.

 

I have attached to this email the joint letter from the Archbishops yesterday if you are interested.

 

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4.5-7

 

With my prayers

Steve

Updates

Here is an email that I wrote to members of the congregation on Tuesday 17th March

Dear Friends,

 

I wanted to write to you all in the midst of all that is going at present as we respond to a constantly changing situation.

The Archbishops have this afternoon called on the Church of England to put public worship on hold and become a different type of church at this time.

 

In the next few days I will be trying to see if it possible for us to live stream a ‘service’ on Sunday using either You Tube or Face Book live. Here is the link to the St Paul’s You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHK8EZFozeGcWE3mQpTVYJw which you can subscribe to.

 

Last Sunday we gave out an updated Address/Contact list and I can email you one if you missed it. Firstly, this acts as a prayer diary so we can pray for one another on different days of the month, do use it in this way. But it also helps us to be in contact with one another. Do use it for this purpose too! A call, text or email to check in with one another or to offer help and support can go along way. Please especially pray at this time for our many doctors and those involved in frontline health care in the busyness, pressure and uncertainty. If you are unwell or have decided to self isolate do let me know (email oadbyrector@gmail.com or 0116 271 0519). If there is anything we can do to help please be in touch. I would sooner hear from several people than not at all about a need and hope and pray that as the body of Christ we can help and serve one another as we are able.

 

All of our Home Groups have decided to suspend meeting together and I have written to the leaders this morning encouraging them to keep functioning without the face to face meeting using technology. If you are part of a home group do keep looking out for each other and try and be in touch via video call/skype. Just because services have stopped does not mean that the church has shut up shop. Now more than ever is the time for us to care well for one another and for our local community. 

 

Whilst we can not meet together we can still feed and nurture our faith. All our sermons are available to listen to online using this link http://www.buzzsprout.com/55355/ The Church of England has a free app you can download called ‘Daily Prayer’ which provides liturgy, prayers and Bible readings for Morning, Evening & Night prayer. Another good app is the ‘You Version’ of the Bible which will send you a verse a day and also has hundreds of free Bible reading plans on it. Or ‘The Bible in One Year’ app will send you readings and a commentary daily, I have used this for the last 5 years and recommend it. Then there are a number of prayer apps, Colin mentioned in his sermon ‘Lectio 365’ which comes from 24/7 prayer or ‘Pray as you Go’ which is from a Jesuit community. There are also lots of worship songs and hymns as well as sermons freely available on You Tube.

 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15: 13

This comes with my love and prayers

Steve

More about Coronovirus

Dear Friends,



Firstly, many thanks to those who have offered to help distribute the Mothering Sunday plants. They are now all allocated and should be on their way out very soon. There is enough for most people to have one so my apologies if one doesn’t make it to you, please know we are still thinking of and praying for you.



Today I have tried to call a number of people from St Paul’s who are not on email to check in with them. I was reminded of the power of a simple phone call and how delighted people are to know that we care. Many of them had already been contacted by others from St Paul’s and I am very thankful for this loving church family. Can I encourage you to keep in contact with one another, do keep praying for each other and ask the Lord if there is someone that you should reach out to each day.



This morning I went, with the rest of Oadby, to Sainsbury’s and am disheartened by the empty shelves, the panic buying and the selfishness of people. Today I learnt about a family who have run out of toilet paper and been unable to get some more. This week I have also been aware of those on a tight budget who cannot afford the expensive branded food that is all they have found left on the shelf and the need for us to make sure we are still donating to the Food Bank. But my faith in peoples goodness was restored when I went to give blood this afternoon and saw there was a high turnout, and a long wait. Let us be salt and light in these times, bringing faith and hope where there is panic and fear.



Today we have uploaded a 2 minute video to the St Paul’s You Tube channel, you can watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvM2QFYk2kU&feature=youtu.be Do subscribe to the channel, this is where I hope to post a video in place of Sunday’s service.



Also on Sunday “The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is to lead a national broadcast as the Church of England responds to the challenge of becoming a “different sort of church” in the face of the coronavirus crisis.

The service, including prayers, hymns and a short sermon, will be broadcast online by the Church of England and broadcast across 39 local BBC radio stations this Sunday as congregations across the country find new ways of sharing worship together after public church services were put on hold.

Churches of all major denominations will also be marking a national day of prayer and action this Sunday – Mothering Sunday - particularly remembering those who are sick or anxious and all involved in health and emergency services.”

The service will be broadcast on all BBC local radio stations in England at 8am and will premier online at 9am on Sunday

Also: “The Archbishops are asking us all to place a lighted candle in our window at 7pm this coming Sunday, “as a sign of solidarity and hope in the light of Christ that can never be extinguished”.



Lastly just to let you know St Peter’s Church is remaining OPEN between 9am and 4pm daily, for people to come and pray / talk / sing etc if you want to, just please practice physical distancing with any other people there. The church is being cleaned daily, particularly surfaces that people touch frequently e.g. door handles.



Every blessing

Steve
Steve Bailey, Rector

Church is Changing — Coronavirus

Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic has meant that we have had to cease worshipping together on Sundays. Below are two links to messages – one from the Archbishop Justin Welby and one from our own bishop, Martyn Snow.

Homegroups are also ceasing to meet, but Steve has encouraged us to keep in contact with each other by telephone, Skype, email et cetera.

If anyone who is isolated needs shopping et cetera, they should feel free to telephone any of the younger members of the congregation.

Message from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York

Message from theBishops of Leicester and Loughborough

A video from Bishop Martyn

If you have not been able to get to church recently – whether due to coronavirus or other problems, did you know that we record the Sunday sermons and you can find them here. Catching up on the teaching is a good way to pass the time!

Viral Kindness

If you want to make contact with a neighbour to offer to help then you can download and print off these postcards to pop through someones door. Provided by CPO for free here.

Do not worry

On Sunday morning our children in Supertroopers wrote prayers on bird shapes and placed them on this tree picture. A lot of their prayers were for everyone's concerns at this difficult time and for our NHS. They were focusing on the passage from Matthew 6.25-34 where Jesus encourages us not to worry but to put our faith, hope and trust in God.

News from our friends at St Peter's

Communication to be made to St. Peter’s Church Family on Sunday 15^th March (and to other congregations in the Oadby-Great Glen Team Ministry)

Since the departure of Liz Wilson as team vicar at St. Peter’s in October, the St. Peter’s PCC has with the support of the Archdeacon been preparing for a new team vicar appointment process with the development of a parish profile to advertise the vacant role.  At the same time some of the support for Sunday services at St. Peter’s has been provided by Sami Lindsey the vicar of St. John’s Clarendon Park and his curate Jon Tearne.

At its meeting on Thursday the St. Peter’s PCC decided to pause the process towards advertising the team vicar role, in order to explore the alternative of a partnership with St. John’s Clarendon Park involving the continued involvement at St. Peter’s of Jon Tearne on a full-time basis with oversight and support from Sami Lindsey and the wider Oadby-Great Glen Team Ministry.

The aims of this resourcing church partnership would be to revitalise St. Peter’s, in particular to grow St. Peter’s mission among children and young families, young people and young adults (including students) and to enable St. Peter’s to be a planting church establishing new worshipping communities in Oadby.   At the same time the aim would be to continue developing the civic role of St. Peter’s with its links to the local community.  

A document has been agreed setting out these partnership aims, the resources that would be deployed to achieve them and the consultation within the wider Team Ministry and patrons that would be followed to enable Jon formally  to join the Team Ministry full-time with oversight and support from Sami, hopefully in the early summer.  This arrangement would then continue for two and a half years until the end of Jon’s time as curate when there would be further discernment about future provision of ordained ministry.  The Team Ministry would meanwhile continue to be led by Steve Bailey as Team Rector.

The information in this announcement will be shared in next week’s noticesheet and then on Sunday 29^th March after the 10am morning service Sami, Jon and Steve will be present for an informal time with the St. Peter’s congregations during which any questions may be asked of them about the proposed partnership.

Everyday Witness Lent Course

This year we have encouraged our home groups to make use of the excellent Lent Course provided by the Diocese, 'Everyday Witness'. I led a session on Wednesday with a group at St Peter's and it provoked some great discussion which increased our confidence to share our faith. It's not too late to join in a group. Thanks to those who have produced this for us.

I Am the Gate

Our series of Jesus' "I am" statements from John's gospel at the All Age services continued this Sunday. This time it was "I Am the Gate" or as some translations put it "I am the door." Steve made it clear that this was not like a 5 barred gate or the large metal gates outside a mansion. It was the gap into the sheepfold and the Shepherd lay across it – protecting the sheep from robbers or wild animals. The sheep knew him and his voice. They were his and he would protect them, just as he wants to protect us too. It was a message that children could understand. But it was equally true for us as adults

Welcome to Mohammad

It was announced in church on Sunday, that in arrangement with the Leicester diocese, the Revd Mohammad Eghtedarian, one of   three new Intercultural Pioneer Ministers, has been appointed to work based at St Pauls. Mohammad, who hails originally from Iran, will be taking up his post on 1 April. The Intercultural Worshipping Communities (IWC’s) that they will be looking to plant are a model for the renewal of church life across the diocese.

We look forward to welcoming Mohammad and to his ministry among us, and will be praying for him and his family as they prepare to join us.

A Blaze of Colour

Today, 1 March, is St David’s day. Very appropriately St Paul’s church grounds (modest as they are) are a blaze of yellow daffodils, St David’s traditional flower. After the bleakness of the winter, it’s wonderful to see this sign of new life. Although we have only just started Lent, they are a reminder of the glory of Easter, which comes at the end of Lent, when we remember Christ rising from the dead.

Lent Lunches

It has become a tradition that every year, during the season of Lent, each of the Oadby Churches provides a Lent lunch, to which all the congregations of the Churches Together in Oadby are invited. This is a modest lunch of soup, roll and butter, cheese and tea or coffee. A contribution of £3 is suggested, which is sent to the work of Christian Aid.

This usually takes place on a Saturday and on 29 February, the first Saturday in Lent this year, it was the turn of St Paul’s to provide the lunch.

It will take place each Saturday during Lent, rotating through the churches, and everyone is warmly invited.