Service times for July and August 2013

Date	Time	Service
7th July	12.00/1230	Raikes Farm Lunch
14th July	11.00a.m	Holy Communion
21st July	11.00a.m.	Morning Prayer
28th July	11.00a.m.	Holy Communion
4th Aug	11.00a.m	Matins
11th Aug	11.00a.m	Holy Communion
18th Aug	11.00a.m	Morning Prayer
25th Aug	11.00a.m	Holy Communion
2nd Sept	11.00a.m.	Matins

Thoughts from your Curate on Being Thankful

I wonder when you last thought about being thankful and what it was that you were thankful for. My friend told me that her daughter in law from Hong Kong has a custom that when she goes to bed at night she places a cup and saucer on the bedside table with the cup facing down on the saucer and when she wakes up in the morning she turns it over, yes ready for her cup of tea but also as a reminder that she has awoken to another day and to be thankful for that. She says that it starts her off in the right frame of mind for the day ahead. Or maybe your first action is to put on the television and be greeted with some bad news and then just perhaps your day hasn’t started off positively and will need a little impetus for it pick up and improve.

We have so much to be thankful for living, as we do, in this beautiful part of the world, we may moan about the weather but on the whole we are surrounded by God’s wonderful creation, we are safe, we are fed, sheltered and we have the relative freedom to go about our daily lives as we wish. We have our families and communities and we can support one another, as many of us do. How often do we think about these as givens and maybe not appreciate them? I suggest perhaps very often, we take them for granted until, that is, we no longer have them. It is when we think about the parts of the wider world and the awful things happening there, the hunger, poverty, homelessness, conflict and corruption that continues to blight many innocent lives that we realise how blessed we are. The most difficult thing for us to understand is why humankind as a race is not able to be my ‘brother’s keeper’.

The psychologists tell us that being thankful seems to mean that we experience greater levels of wellbeing, fewer physical illnesses and are more likely to offer emotional support to others. So for our own benefits it is worth thinking about what we are grateful for, perhaps having a routine that is regular, a daily time to think about what we have that is worth saying ‘thank you’ for. Some people think at the end of the day about the good things that they have seen or experienced during their past twenty four hours, they may even keep a journal.

Now I am not saying that there are always events in our lives that we are going to be thankful for, no, serious heartaches and suffering do happen but I am reminded and encouraged by the song sung by Maria to the children as they sit cuddled together on the bed because they are afraid of the sounds of the very real storm raging outside and the very simple things of life that changed their outlook.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favourite things

Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favourite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favourite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favourite things
And then I don't feel so bad

My prayer is that even through hardships and difficulties we may find in the simple things of life a blessing and be thankful. Amen

Post Script.

We are thankful to David and Janet that they are once again organising what has become an annual event, lunch at their farm on Sunday 7^th July, 12.00 for 12.30.

Peace to you all - Ruth

Church duties

Date	Cleaning	Flowers
7 July	Mrs S Thomas	Mrs E M Swann
14 July	Mrs S Brooks & Mrs J Biden	Mrs E M Swann
21 July	Miss H M Swann	Mrs S Thomas
28 July	Mrs A Danforth	Mrs S Thomas
4 August	Mrs H Hayward	Mrs C Young
11 August	Mrs M Wray	Mrs C Young
18 August	Mrs M Cutland	Mrs A Cherry & Mrs J McDonald
25 August	Mrs M White	Mrs A Cherry & Mrs J McDonald
1 September	Mrs S Thomas	Mrs A Cherry & Mrs J McDonald

SONGS OF PRAISE

A Songs of Praise service will be held at All Saints Church at 11.00 on Sunday 30^th June. It will include a performance by the Bishop Burton Village Choir. All welcome.

Bryn Jones

• < Prev
• Next >