Weekly Bulletin for Sunday, January 31, 2010

The Fourth Sunday of Epiphany

Divine Office

The Office for Epiphany is used until Candlemas,
Ordinary Time starts from Wednesday.
Morning Prayer is said 9.00 am Monday-Friday

Order of service for Morning and Evening Prayer.

Services and Events

Sunday, January 31, 2010 (The Fourth Sunday of Epiphany)
Daily intention: Our Parish
08:00	Mass	Saint George's Church
10:00	The Parish Mass	Saint George's Church
11:00	Bicycle Marking Sussex Police will be marking bicycles free of charge	Centenary Centre Patio
17:00	Evening Prayer (Said)	Saint George's Church.
Monday, February 01, 2010 (Brigid, Abbess, c.525)
Daily intention: Those called to the Religious Life
10:00-11:30	TOTS @ Saint George's	Centenary Centre
16:00	Healing Prayer Group	Lady Chapel
Tuesday, February 02, 2010 (The Presentation of Christ in the Temple)
Notes: Candlemass
12:00	Mass	Saint George's Church.
19:30	Sung Mass	Saint George's Church
Wednesday, February 03, 2010 (Anskar, archbishop, missionary, 865)
Daily intention: CMS
09:30	Mass	Saint George's Church.
10:30-11:30	Tai Chi Class £4.50 per class.	Centenary Centre.
14:30-16:00	Tea and Chat.	Centenary Centre.
Thursday, February 04, 2010 (GIlbert, founder of the Gilbertine Order, 1189)
Daily intention: Rumboldswhyke School
19:30	Mass	Saint George's Church
Friday, February 05, 2010 (Feria)
Daily intention: The Community at Tymawr
Saturday, February 06, 2010 (Martyrs of Japan, 1597)
Daily intention: Elizabeth our Queen
Sunday, February 07, 2010 (The Second Sunday before Lent)
Daily intention: Our Parish
08:00	Mass	Saint George's Church
10:00	The Parish Mass	Saint George's Church
17:00	Solemn Evensong with Benediction	Saint George's Church.
18:00	Children and Communion discussion meeting	Centenary Centre

Opening Prayer

God our creator,
who in the beginning
commanded the light to shine out of darkness:
we pray that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ
may dispel the darkness of ignorance and unbelief,
shine into the hearts of all your people,
and reveal the knowledge of your glory
in the face of 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.

First Reading

Ezekiel 43.27-44.4
A reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel.

27 ‘When these days are over,
then from the eighth day onward
the priests shall offer upon the altar your burnt offerings
and your offerings of well–being;
and I will accept you, says the Lord GOD.’
1 Then he brought me back to the
outer gate of the sanctuary, which
faces east: and it was shut.
2 The LORD said to me:
This gate shall remain shut:
it shall not be opened,
and no one shall enter by it;
for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it;
therefore it shall remain shut.
3 Only the prince, because he is a prince,
may sit in it to eat food before the LORD:
he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate
and shall go out by the same way.
4 Then he brought me by way of the
north gate to the front of the temple;
and I looked,
and lo! the glory of the LORD
filled the temple of the LORD:
and I fell upon my face.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 48
R We have waited on your loving-kindness, O God, in the midst of your temple.

1 Great is the Lord and highly to be praised;
in the city of our God is his holy hill.
2 Beautiful and lofty, the joy of all the earth,
is the hill of Zion,
the very centre of the world
and the city of the great king.
3 God is in her citadels;
he is known to be her sure refuge. R
4 Behold, the kings of the earth assembled
and marched forward together.
5 They looked and were astounded;
they retreated and fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there;
they writhed like a woman in childbirth,
like ships of the sea when the east wind shatters them. R
7 As we have heard, so have we seen,
in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God;
God has established her for ever.
8 We have waited in silence
on your loving-kindness, O God,
in the midst of your temple. R
9 Your praise, like your name, O God,
reaches to the world’s end;
your right hand is full of justice.
10 Let Mount Zion be glad
and the cities of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgements. R
11 Make the circuit of Zion; walk round about her;
count the number of her towers.
12 Consider well her bulwarks; examine her strongholds;
that you may tell those who come after.
13 This God is our God for ever and ever;
he shall be our guide for evermore. R

Second Reading

1 Corinthians 13.1-13
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

1 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels,
but do not have love,
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophetic powers,
and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 If I give away all my possessions,
and if I hand over my body so that I may boast,
but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient; love is kind;
love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
5 It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing,
but rejoices in the truth.
7 It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends.
But as for prophecies, they will come to an end;
as for tongues, they will cease;
as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part;
10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child;
when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly,
but then we will see face to face.
Now I know only in part;
then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;
and the greatest of these is love.

Acclamation

Alleluia! The Lord has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed. Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 2.22-40
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

22 When the time came for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord,
‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’),
24 and they offered a sacrifice
according to what is stated in the law of the Lord,
‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;
this man was righteous and devout,
looking forward to the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit rested on him.
26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death
before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus,
to do for him what was customary under the law,
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.’
33 And the child’s father and mother
were amazed at what was being said about him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary,
‘This child is destined
for the falling and the rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be opposed
35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed –
and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
36 There was also a prophet, Anna
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was of a great age,
having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four.
She never left the temple
but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.
38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God
and to speak about the child
to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When they had finished everything
required by the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favour of God was upon him.

Closing Prayer

Generous Lord,
in word and eucharist we have proclaimed
the mystery of your love:
help us so to live out our days
that we may be signs of your wonders in the world;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Your Prayers are asked for

Those in particular need of healing: Margret, Sister Mary Jean SSC, Beth, Win, Yvonne, James, Phyllis, John , Sheena, Paul, Sheila. ** Sheila, Sam, Gladys, Reg, Maria, John, Leslie, Michael, Nigel, Daniel Dominic.

Recently Departed: Henry Bertoux, James Dickson, Tom Gregory, Maurice Warner.

Anniversary of Death: Geoffrey Vick, Ian Phillips, Mary Annie Cheeseborough, Mary Cole.

Notices and Future Dates

A new group in the Centre - A new 10 week course in Mediation will be starting in the Centre from Friday 5th February from 10.00 to 12.00 noon.

To book a place contact Alex at Serendipitous Healing 01243 530069 / 07852 338639 www.serendipitoushealing.com

Work Experience – from the 7th – 12th February Claire Lambourne will be on Work Experience at the Church. She will mainly be shadowing Fr Stuart, but will also be involved in our services and helping with church administration.

For your Information – The cypress tree at the west end of the church is in need of some attention. Parts are diseased and limbs need cutting back. We have recently gained permission for work to be carried out on this tree, which is a local landmark and is listed under the Tree Preservation Order. Work to save the tree will be carried out this week.

Fabric update – many thanks to all those who have volunteered to be place on the emergency help list for matters to do with the fabric of the church. The recent snow and ice has caused lasting problems on the church roof. We now have a substantial leak into the sacristy and large sections of the roof tiles both on the north aisle and sacristy are needing to be replaced. We will keep you informed about what work will need to take place.

Wintershall Life of Christ – Saturday 3 rd July 2010 – For many years now the Wintershall Estate has produced a more than life sized outdoor interactive play on the life of Christ, with camels, horses over 200 actors and 30 sheep! It's a day to bring your lunch and a portable chair for a truly wonderful event! The coach costs have been generously paid by an individual so all you need to buy are your tickets £15 adults, children £7.50 Please sign up on the list at the back of Church. Please visit: http://www.wintershall-estate.com/?menuId=8&pageId=7 for more information.

Thank you – to everyone who gave in our recent collections for Haiti. We are pleased to inform you that £541 will be sent in the next few days. Please continue to pray for all affected by this recent disaster.

Candlemass – This Tuesday marks the end of the Christmas season. There will be a special mass at 7.30pm. Please do try to make it.

Centre Cleaner – we are very pleased to announce that the vacancy has been filled by Barry Wilkins, who will work 4 mornings a week before the centre opens for its busy weekly programme of bookings. Many thanks to all who have helped keep the Centre clean during the last few weeks.

Children & Communion - Full details about how this will work are available on the table at the back of church. There will be a special meeting for all member of the church in school yrs 3 + and parents on Sunday 7 th February at 6pm

Lent 2010 – information about our services and courses for this year will be published next Sunday.

Coffee Morning - thanks to everyone who supported the coffee morning yesterday in aid of our flowers girls and their work in church. A total of over £350 was raised!

Mass for Ash Wednesday – Wednesday 17 th February. Ash Wednesday is a day obligation for Christians. Please make every effort to come to this Mass as we beginning Lent.

Palm Crosses – please start to bring back your palm crosses back from last year so they can be burned to make the ash for our Mass on Ash Wednesday.

Invitation from the Archbishops' – we have been chosen to trail two new Eucharistic Prayers for six months by the Archbishops. These new prayers are specifically designed for use when a large number of children are present and so will be used at any Mass held in Central School and the first Sunday's of the month.

Christmas Collections – we raised over £850 for the Sussex Snowdrop Trust and over £250 for the Children's' Society. Many thanks for your generosity in supporting these two worthwhile charities.

Andy Wilkes – as you will know Andy is to be ordained this summer. Before Christmas we started a collection to buy Andy his first cassock (long black robe) we have raised just under half the amount this will cost so far, so please if you can please give any donations towards this important piece of ‘kit' to the Treasurer or Church Wardens.

Holy Dusters - A  Provisional Rota for Holy Dusters has been drawn up to cover the month of February and is pinned up at the back of the Church.  We have four teams of people (Saturdays 10.30 - 11.30, Saturdays 2.00 - 3.00,  Wednesdays 2.00 - 3.00 and Thursdays 9.30 - 10.30). If you have volunteered to help but could not commit to a day or time please get in touch with the office once you know your availability.  We hope to have maybe an evening group starting soon. Many hands make light work!

Confirmation – we are delighted to announce that we will be having a Confirmation Service held at St George's on Easter Eve, Saturday 3 rd April at 7pm. This service will be led by The Right Reverend Kenneth Stevenson, until recently Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Portsmouth. If you wish to be confirmed please talk to Fr Stuart. Our policy is that anyone over 9 years old can be confirmed. Young and old welcome. There will be separate classes held from the beginning of February for younger and older candidates. PLEASE FIND DETAILS AND DATES ON THE TABLE AT THE BACK OF CHURCH AND EMAIL FR STUART IF YOU WISH TO BE CONFIRMED AT stgeorges@whyke.info

Dragons – starts again for a fun packed year on Sunday 21 th February. Put the date in your diary now.

The E List- The St George's e-mailing list has proved popular with over 60 ‘subscribers' now receiving a copy of the weekly bulletin together with other notices and items of interest. If you wish your name to be on the list reply to Ken. Addresses will be shown ‘blind' to prevent access by spammers and the list will not be passed to others. Items to be included should be submitted to Fr Stuart. A copy of each notice, other than the bulletin, will be displayed on the notice board for those not on the Internet.

Walsingham 2010 – following the huge success of our first pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, we are booked in for a repeat pilgrimage from Friday 9 th – Sunday 11 th April. Please let us know in the New Year if you would like to take part in this pilgrimage and sign up on the list at the back of Church. Accommodation costs are approximately £105, transport will be in addition.

Social Team- if you would like to help enable the social life of our community and volunteer to be on the Social Team, please talk with Sheila Price.

A new organ for St George's - you will all know of our wish to replace the present organ which is slowly dying. Church organs have always cost what you would pay to buy a house! On the board at the back of church are two proposals from Mander Organs. A new organ from Manders would cost us in the region of £300,000! Please have a look and let us know what you think. We will be receiving we hope a proposal from Kenneth Tickell another fine organ builder in the next month or so. www.mander-organs.com www.tickell-organs.co.uk

Visiting Preachers in 2010 – March 25th Feast of the Annunciation, Preacher - The Very Reverend Dr Jeffery John, Dean of St Albans

April 23rd Feast of George Martyr and Patron of England, Preacher – The Right Reverend Dr Graeme Knowles, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral.