Hello everyone,
Welcome to the latest issue of our church newsletter. Our newsletter is sent out regularly to share reflections from services, Bible readings and church news to our church family. You can find previous issues on our church website here. We would love to hear from you and are always looking for uplifting and encouraging content to share in future issues of this newsletter. If you have any ideas or content that we can share, please do email them to Louise (publicity@christchurchuxbridge.org.uk)
Opening Prayer
In this moment, pause to meet with God:
The God who welcomes me regardless of time and place,
The God who encourages me to learn and love,
The God who challenges me to change and grow.
In this moment, pause to meet with God.
To get ready, to praise,
to contemplate the global community we are a part of
and to recognise the joy we have in every encounter with the one,
who by their grace, blesses me and those around me.
In this moment, pause to meet with God. Amen.
(Taken from The Vine)
Reflection from 4 June
Readings: Psalm 24: 1, Genesis 2: 15 and Psalm 8
In place of a reflection, Joanne shared two videos produced by the Baptist Union Environment Network – one reflecting on the theme of ‘Coast’ and the other on the theme of ‘Trees’. You can find the videos and transcripts here.
Readings for 11 June
Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26 (NIV)
9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.
Further readings from the lectionary this week are as follows:
- Hosea 5: 15 – 6: 6
- Psalm 50: 7-15
- Romans 4: 13-25
Our worship
We meet at 11am for our Sunday services, which are also live-streamed on our Facebook page. If you wish to view our services online, you can find them at www.facebook.com/christchurchuxbridge. You do not have to be a Facebook user to watch them – our services are publicly viewable. You can also view a recent service on our church website. Our service this week will be a parade service led by Christ Church member, Neil Mackin. You can find the order of service here.
If you are unable to join us in person or online for our Sunday services, but would like to receive a recording of them on a memory stick to watch at home, please let us know.
Please note that the June communion service will be on 18 June, the third Sunday of the month, instead of the last Sunday of the month.
Forthcoming services
11 June – Christ Church worship group (Neil Mackin) – parade service
18 June – Revd Dr Dong Hwan Kim (Methodist minister) – Holy Communion
25 June – Peter Davies (Methodist local preacher)
2 July – Anne Byfield (URC lay preacher)
Church charity news
Church charity events
The following events are currently planned to help fundraise for this year’s church charity, Communicare Counselling Service. Details will follow nearer the time.
Table-top sale – Saturday 23rd September
Quiz evening – Saturday 14th October
Silent auction – November
You can find more details about Communicare Counselling Service, our church charity for 2023 at:
https://christchurchuxbridge.org.uk/activities/churchcharity2023
Girls’ Brigade News
The Friday before half term we swapped our usual Friday night for another evening visit to Iver Environment Centre. This time the Explorers and Juniors had great fun pond dipping and identifying all the different creatures they could see in their tray. They then enjoyed themselves on the play equipment and played a few games.
The Seniors and Brigaders created clay pots to make a cast from a natural object before smelting pewter on the fire and pouring it into their pots. It took only a few minutes to cool and they took home some beautiful objects which some of the girls were going to make into jewellery. Their evening ended with toasting marshmallows and making – and eating! – S’mores. Thank you Cathy (and Andrew!) for another lovely evening.
Stephanie Marr
Dates for your diary
4 June – Trip to Chiltern Open Air Museum
10 June – URC Learning Hub (focusing on Whole-Life Worship), 10am – 1pm at St John’s URC, New Barnet
22 June – Congregational Meeting, 7pm
7 July – Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade Display, 7pm in the Watts Hall
10 September – Congregational meeting
23 September – Table-top sale in aid of Communicare Counselling Service
30 September – URC Learning Hub (focusing on small groups and intentional relationships)
14 October – Quiz night in aid of Communicare Counselling Service
19 November – Congregational meeting
Children’s Corner
Praying for other churches
This week we hold the following churches in our prayers:
- Pinner Methodist
- Ickenham URC
Closing prayer
God of mercy and justice,
as we walk alongside those in our communities
who seek mercy, kindness, or forgiveness,
open our eyes to see them
and our minds and hearts to reach out to them,
that we may be moved to share your love and compassion
in practical ways – and in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
(Taken from Roots)
