It was a delight to have our pets with us at worship on Sunday. It’s always a challenging service for rector, although the pets were incredibly well behaved. We had creatures from dogs to stick insects, even a fish and a couple of snails! Its serve as a good reminder to give thanks for all of God’s creation.
It just so happened that the bible passage set aside of Sunday was from Matthew 9, where Jesus teaches about a type of animal – sparrows:
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. (vs. 38,39)
There is an affirmation here by Jesus of the worth of creation, but there is also an affirmation of our worth. That important to remember, especially on those days when we struggle. We are loved and values by the creator himself.
Blessings
Rev Rob
Services this Sunday
Here is the list of Service for Sunday 2nd July:
8:30am: Holy Communion.
11:00am: Morning Prayer.
Note that the 9:45am and 11am services merge over the summer. We do encourage families to come along at 11am. There will be activities / colouring sheets etc. to keep them engaged in the pews
Notes for this Week
Parish Work Party
Many thanks to everyone who was able to help on Saturday. We must have picked the hottest day of the year!
We plan to hold a couple of these workdays during spring/summer for outside jobs then one in the winter, probably before Christmas to work inside the church.
Tuesday Midweek Service
Let’s see how we do with our midweek service over the summer. It may well be that holidays start to reduce our numbers. We’ll keep going until we decide otherwise.
Wednesday Prayer Service
Join us for a short 25 minutes to pray for the needs of the community at 8pm on zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85447977275?pwd=VGV2QkwvQU9qREc4L2prOVhFdWlPZz09 Meeting ID: 854 4797 7275 / Passcode: 232524.
This will be the last online prayer meeting before the summer.
Gathering Grounds Cafe
We are delighted to be able to keep going in the Gather Grounds Café until the 17th July. We will be opening slightly later since there is no school drop off!
Bible Buddies Summer Reading
We were delighted to have our second ‘Bible Buddies Adoption Day’ at the Pet Service on Sunday morning. It’s a joy to see the excitement and enthusiasm of the children who have already adopted Bible Buddies and of those choosing and naming theirs. Each Buddy comes with a certificate, care guide and a bible reading pack. The easiest way to care for the small and very cute soft toys, is to spend time with them and reading the bible together. They also love going on adventures – we can’t wait to see where they go over the summer. As a little reminder that our Bible Buddies aren’t just for Easter each child who had already adopted a Bible Buddy got the summer reading guide to help them continue ‘feeding’ and caring for their Buddy. The Bible Buddy Reading Guide also comes in an Easy Read Version. They are available to pick up from the Gathering Grounds. For details on how to adopt a Bible Buddy contact Lynn 087 695706
Play Café Gets OWT! (Outside With Toddlers)
This week we are looking forward to our Annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic when we celebrate the end of a wonderful season of gathering together. We’re planning on having an un-BEAR-able amount of fun. Activities will be Teddy Bear themed and inspired by the book ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.’ We’ll have sensory and messy activities, a craft activity and time to practice your ‘grrrs’ before going hunting for bears on our Story Trail around the grounds, followed by fun squelching, swishing, splashing and crunching in our Barefoot Sensory Walk. Why not bring one of your teddy bears to join you in the hunt and enjoy the story and singing which we will take into church where Rev Rob will join us with his guitar. We are fully booked but do contact Lynn to be placed on the Waitlist. Lynn 087-6957061
Bumps & Babes
If you are, or know of, a new parent or parent to be, with any niggles or worries, or would just like to relax and enjoy a cuppa in company, keep reading, this is for you! We are delighted to invite you to the Gathering Grounds on Wednesday mornings from 10am-11:30am for an informal friendly meet-up where you can chat and meet others in the community.