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https://www.stmarysbattersea.org.uk St Mary’s Weekly News 23 rd August 2020 Introducing St Mary’s Online Alpha Course October-December 2020 Click the picture to play video
https://www.stmarysbattersea.org.uk
St Mary’s Weekly News23rd August 2020
Introducing St Mary’s Online Alpha Course
October-December 2020Click the picture to play video
St. Mary’s Church, Battersea23rd August 2020
Welcome to St Mary’s Weekly Newsletter. We’re continuing to learn how to welcome everyone back safely to our church building, while continuing to offer a hybrid approach of both physical and digital forms of worship. You are welcome to join us in either way.
What’s On This Sunday: The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity8.30am Holy Communion (Traditional Language)]11.00am Parish Eucharist with Godly Play for Children
Readings: Romans 12:1-8: Matthew 16:13-20Preacher: Canon Simon Butler, Vicar
3.00pm Free Summer Recital: Freya Goldmark (Violin)
Our Morning Services are both live-streamed on Facebook Live (Click)
Evening Services recommence in September.
If you would like to join us for coffee after church from home see here
Next Sunday: The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity8.30am Holy Communion (Traditional Language)]11.00am Parish Eucharist with Godly Play for Children
Readings: Romans 12:9-end: Matthew 16:21-endPreacher: Canon Simon Butler, Vicar
3.00pm Free Summer Recital: Ed Bonner & David Smith perform Schumann’s Dichterliebe
Sunday Coffee Times 9.30am: Click Here
(Password: 7XNPO4)
12 noon: Click Here(Password: 6JLUEP)
Help Us on a Sunday as we RecoverNot all our volunteers are able or ready to come back to church yet, so we need some help with the following (contact the person mentioned):Welcoming: [email protected] Church: [email protected]
Refreshments: [email protected]
For Your Prayers
The sick and those in need: Richard Dening,Valeria Kacurova, Boo & Harry Chapman, May,Jackey Baker, Jane Frances, Harri, Agnes & family.
In the world: the people of Belarus, the UnitedNations.
The recently departed and their families:Margaret Macallan, Robin Chapman, Elizabeth,Peter Skinner, Eileen Johnson and ElizabethWinrow. The Coulson family.
St. Mary’s Church, Battersea23rd August 2020
This Week’s Notices
Aaron Kennedy is on holiday this week.
The Regenerate Tuk-Tuk is now in its newhome in the Putney Exchange. A new vehicleis being prepared to replace in next month,providing daily refreshments in the ChurchYard. The community shop is currently takinga break and will return soon.
A New Morning Service?
We currently looking at beginning an
additional service on a monthly basis, aimed
at families with children, who may find our
11am start time doesn’t necessarily fit in
with other commitments during the day. If
you would like to comment on this proposal,
you can take part in the online survey.
Click here to participate. Aaron
Alpha Course: It has been a while since we
held one of these courses designed for
people exploring Christian faith through
discussion. We’re going to run Alpha this
autumn, online via Zoom, beginning on
Monday 5th October. Registration will begin
soon.
Confirmation Classes: Alpha is one route
towards Confirmation but there may be
those in the congregation who would prefer
to do some confirmation preparation in a
small group. If you are not confirmed –
whether you’re in your teens or in your 70s –
why not come to the Vicarage to talk with a
small group about confirmation preparation
on Wednesday 2nd September at 7.00pm.
More Notices Follow…
Weekday Worship Pattern
St Mary’s continues to be open for private prayer Monday to Friday 9.30am to 12.30pm, and on Wednesday afternoons from 3pm to 6pm.
If you are anxious about coming to a
well-attended service on a Sunday,
why not come to a quieter one
during the week.
Monday Morning Prayer at 8.30am Tuesday Holy Communion at 8.30amWednesday Lectio Divina at 8.30am* (Zoom)Thursday Midday Prayer at Noon
*Lectio divina is a way of prayerfully listening to scripture. Come and try it out on our Wednesday morning Zoom call.
A small group continue to say Morning Prayer together at 7.30am welcome others to join them.Click Here.
St. Mary’s Church, Battersea23rd August 2020
More Notices for the Coming Weeks
Father Gerry O’Shaughnessy: we’re sorry to inform you that Fr. Gerry has resigned as parish priest of
Sacred Heart Catholic Church, on health grounds. Gerry was a great friend of St Mary’s over the past
three years. Pray for Gerry as he addresses his health issues and for the Salesian Community as they
identify a new parish priest to serve in our neighbourhood.
Confirmation Classes: Alpha is one route towards Confirmation but there may be those in the
congregation who would prefer to do some confirmation preparation in a small group. If you are not
confirmed – whether you’re in your teens or in your 70s – why not come to the Vicarage to talk with a
small group about confirmation preparation on Wednesday 2nd September at 7.00pm.
Growing in Faith & Life: The Bishop’s Certificate in Discipleship. Details of this modular course, are
available at the back of church. The Bishop’s Certificate is a great way to go deeper into
understanding your faith and how best to live it.
Organ Revoicing: For six weeks from tomorrow, the organ will be out of commission as it is revoiced.
Music in worship will be led from the piano.
Harness the Power of Personal Relationships to Change Things: Pope Francis has said that we are
living not through an era of change, but a change of era. If that is so, then we need a new vision to fit
this new era, and new skills to help us make the transition. If you are interested in learning about the
surprising power of the one-to-one meeting, and how this simple practice could, over time, transform
St Mary’s community life, then please join us on Saturday 5th September, from 9am-noon at church.
Please register for free using the details in the weekly newsletter. We will build on this training in a
series of Thursday evening sessions running October 1st to November 26th). More information to
follow soon, but please save the dates!
Parish Investment Property: The Coronavirus pandemic has had many effects, including on the way
the Church Council believes it can receive the best return on its investments, following a generous
bequest of over £750,000 from the late John Hughes. As a result, the Council is currently purchasing a
very attractive 2-bedroom flat in Winfield House, Vicarage Crescent, with a view to generating income
through letting. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in becoming our tenant, please
contact Simon or Richard Cross as soon as possible. The property is likely to be available in October.
The PCC also intends to hold a sensible cash reserve, while investing the remainder for the long-term
in equities
Churchyard Improvements: we are keen to make the churchyard a more nature-friendly space. A first
step is to provide one or two securely fixed bird-baths. We would like to fund these from donations. If
you would like to make a contribution, please pass your donation to David Britten making clear that
the donation is towards the bird-baths. Thank you.
New PCC Secretary: we are looking for someone to serve in this administrative role, which comes
with PCC membership. Speak to Simon to find out more.
Looking for LeadersCanon Simon Butler
One of the things that has been delayed at St Mary’s by the Covid-19 pandemic is the election of a new Parochial Church Council, known universally as ‘the
PCC’. Fortunately, St Mary’s has not been without leaders in that time, but the Bishop has instructed that we need to elect our Church Wardens and PCC members by the end of October. We will do this at our Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday 11th
October, immediately after the 11am service.
Serving on a committee may not be the most exciting aspect of being a Christian(!), but at St Mary’s we have a responsibility to welcome, include and equip members of our church to play their part in the care of the whole church – people, building, resources – and to seek God’s vision for the future of the mission of God in our church and community.
The coming few years are going to be a fascinating time to serve on the PCC. In the coming few weeks we will launch our Mission Action Plan 2020-25, an ambitious and challenging programme of work, built on the Five Marks of Mission of the Anglican Communion: Tell (the Good News), Teach (the Faith), Tend (to the world through service), Transform (unjust structures in society), Treasure(God’s creation). The task of the PCC will be to work with me to guide and lead St Mary’s in and through the work we have planned, while continuing to offer worship, fellowship and an inclusive welcome to all who come through our doors. I am very excited about this – and I hope you will be too! – and I am really keen that we have a leadership in the PCC who can help, under God, turn these dreams into reality.
The other area where we will face challenges and opportunities will be in the post-Covid-19 world that is emerging, a world where we engage physically and digitally, where we may discover we have found new and better ways of doing things that we thought might be impossible, and a where we may
face significant challenges in changing patterns of worship and attendance. Who knows what the ‘new normal’ might look like? We need – I need – a PCC ready to face these challenges with me.
I think that we are likely to see a subtle but significant change in the way we approach our PCC meetings as well. I have to confess my approach has been very business-like – getting things properly considered, approved and done has been vital – but I think that as we move into the next phase of our life with a new Mission Action Plan, we might helpfully devote more time to prayer, discerning how we lead under God as a PCC, and ensuring that we hear the voices of those less visible and vocal in the life of the church. Leadership in the Christian community is always Servant Leadership: I’d like us to be known as a serving PCC.
So this is a good time to be thinking and praying about whether you might serve. Perhaps you’re one of those people who don’t think they have anything to offer, or who are not as confident as others about speaking up in meetings. Rest assured: we need all sorts of people. I am sure that there are many of us who are hiding our light under a bushel and I would encourage you to at least talk to someone about whether you could bring something special to the work of leading St Mary’s.
Finally, it is worth saying, that there are two ways of becoming a PCC member this year. The first is by being elected at the Annual Meeting to be a member of Battersea Deanery Synod, which makes you an ‘ex-officio’ member of the PCC. Of course, this means that there are extra meetings to attend, meeting with leaders from the other churches of Battersea two or three times a year; but the responsibilities here are not onerous. There are four places to fill on the Deanery Synod. The second way is by standing for election to the PCC directly. This year there are two places to fill.
Please do talk to Aaron, me or one of the church wardens to find out more.
St. Mary’s Church, Battersea23rd August 2020
Sunday 11th
October 2020 during and after the 11am Parish
Eucharist
The Annual Meeting is an important moment in the life of the church, as we celebrate God’s goodness to us in the past year, elect lay leaders to work with the clergy in setting the direction of our mission and ministry and have an opportunity to ask questions of the Vicar and Officers of the Church Council.
This year is particularly special because it will be a chance to hear about the vision and plans we have for the next five years of the life of our church, as we present the Mission Action Plan 2020-25for your comment and consideration.
We will conclude our meeting with a glass of something and some nibbles
2020 Elections
This year we need to elect:
A People’s Church Warden
4 Members to serve on Battersea
Deanery Synod (and the PCC)
2 Members to service on the
Parochial Church Council
BatterseaCoronavirus
Angels
Coronavirus Angels will Cease at the end of August
As we move into a new phase of the pandemic,
we are going to focus solely on
telephone befriending work,
while remaining ready to bring our practical
community work into action again
should a second lockdown be necessary.
If you know anyone who would like some
telephone befriending because they are isolated
or in need please contact us via
Thank you for such wonderful support.
Giving To St Mary’s
We invite and encourage everyone who considers St Mary’s their spiritual home to make a financial
contribution to our work.
The best way of doing this is through setting up a Standing Order, so that your giving doesn’t depend
upon how often you are able to get to church.
To do this, just use these details
Account Name: Battersea Parish Church PCC Sort Code: 502101
Account Number: 82127468
If you would like to Gift Aid your donation, please contact Chris & Erica Sage via the Parish Office
Contacts
St. Mary's ChurchThe Parish Office, St. Mary's Crypt Battersea Church Road London, SW11 3NAOpen Monday to Friday 9.30am to 12.30pmTel 020 7228 9648
Canon Simon ButlerVicar (Day Off: Thursday Evening/Friday)[email protected] 552407
Reverend Aaron KennedyAssociate Vicar for Community Development & Mission (Day Off: Friday)[email protected] 180273
The clergy are always ready to visit, or to offer confidential pastoral care. Please contact them directly. If you hear that a member of the parish is unwell or needs a visit or a call from one of the clergy, please let the clergy know. They may not have heard and are grateful to be kept informed.
