Sunday 18 July 2021: Trinity 7

To include articles on this sheet contact Valda Pearson on 07751 663339 or email valdaapearson@gmail.com by Tuesday evening. 

10:15    Parish Eucharist in church and live streamed

President and Preacher Fr Andrew

Please pass on the link https://www.facebook.com/Eccle...so we can bring hope to all those in need of comfort at this time.

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same; through 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.

Sunday 18 July Readings:

Jeremiah 23: 1-6

Ephesians 2: 11-22

Mark 6: 30-34 and 53-56

Intercessions   

We pray for an end to coronavirus:

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose years never fail and whose mercies are new each returning day: let the radiance of your Spirit renew our lives, warming our hearts and giving light to our minds; that we may pass the coming year in joyful obedience and firm faith; through him who is the beginning and the end, your Son, Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.

Those in need this week:

Maureen Dalby; Pauline Readett; Pat Lee; Mary Brown; Declan Reece; Anne Evans, Joanne Whittle, Di Taylor

Those who have been in need for some time:

Tommy Trayling; Colin Buckley; Pat Wilson; Helen Christopher; Graham Pownall; Olivia Wilson; Tony Dolan; Margaret Dolan; Audrey Batten; June Davenport; Pat Lee, Michael Walker, Gemma Kavanagh, Maureen Brindle

The departed

Delia Otter

Those who have lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic

Those whose anniversary occurs this week

Alice Thompson

Edith Margaret Gillet

Margaret Ann Bentham 

Alan Edward Lilley

What's on

Daily readings in the week

Monday 19 July        Gregory and Macrina   Matthew 12 : 28 - 32

Tuesday 20 July        Margaret of Antioch    Matthew 12 : 46 - end

Wednesday 21 July   Matthew 13 : 1 - 9

Thursday 22 July      Mary Magdalene     John 20 : 1 - 2; 11 - 18

Friday 23 July          Brigit of Sweden    Matthew 5 : 13 - 16

Saturday 24 July      Matthew 13 : 24 - 30

Banns of Marriage

Today we publish the banns of marriage between Bethan Dawn Dalton of the parish of Euxton and Nicholas Holbrook Garden also of the parish of Euxton and also between Katie Leanne Dootson of this parish and Christopher Pattman also of this parish.  

This is the first time of asking. If any of you know any reason in law why they may not marry each other you are to declare it.

Services this week

The Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer will  be said in church this week at 09:00 and 17:00 Monday to Thursday.

Monday:            11:30 Funeral of Delia Ellen Otter RIP

Wednesday:       09:30 Holy Eucharist in church

Next Week:

25 July   Trinity 8   Green

Readings         

II Kings 4: 42-44; Ephesians 3: 14-21; John 6: 1-21

Weekly church running costs - £1901

THE COST OF KEEPING OPEN OUR CHURCH is £14 PER PERSON PER WEEK – current levels of giving work out at £5 per person per week increasing the gap between incomings and outgoings even further.  The financial situation is becoming increasingly worrying.  Please help as much as you can. Forms are available to make a Standing Order if you would prefer to contribute in this way. Forms are available for tax payers from the treasurer or Gift Aid Secretary, Eric Smith. Please make sure you have completed yours. Gift Aiding raised £11,707 in year 2019.

Eccleston St Marys PCC Sort Code 09-01-55 A/c 23903081

If you wish to make an online donation please click the picture on the left.  This will take you to a page where you can enter your debit or credit card details to make a donation for any amount.  You can also Gift Aid the donation.

CONTACT DETAILS

Rector                  Fr Andrew Brown        01257 452777

Church Warden     Gill Jamieson             01257 451863

Church Warden     Garry Fishwick           07885 839067

Weddings              Andrea Cheetham      01257 451932

Baptisms              Claire Walsh               01257 433167

Funerals               Linda Thornton          01257 451075

PCC Secretary       valdaapearson@gmail.com  

The following daily intentions are suggested:

Monday        Those leaving schools and colleges

Tuesday        Our relationship with European friends

Wednesday   Theological colleges

Thursday       Women who exercise Christian ministry

Friday           Those involved in the fishing industry  

Saturday       An end to coronavirus

Don't Forget The Midweek Eucharist on Wednesday starts at 09:30 

PCC decision on service patterns We are grateful for your contribution to the debate on service times which was discussed by the PCC last week.  In response to the 65 suggestions which we received, it has been decided that there will be one eucharist on Sunday, at 10:15, and from September there will be an early evening said eucharist each Thursday in addition to the Wednesday said eucharist at 09:30 each week.

Whilst we understand that this will not meet everyone's need or preference, the survey amongst primary school age parents showed very clearly that Sunday morning is not a good time for church in the modern family diary.

Changes from Monday 19 July

We have been advised that the despite the changes in government policy from Monday 19 July which will allow us able to reinstate congregational singing and a full choir, the Church of England Task Force have issued some guidance which allows activities to restart if they can be done safely.  Therefore, as a parish we have decided to maintain a 1m policy in church and ask you to wear a mask as you enter and leave.  Masks will not be required whilst sitting.  Until then please remain vigilant, register your attendance, use hand sanitiser; wear a mask and remain two metres apart from others at all times. 

Bishop of London urges caution and pays tribute to vaccinators as restrictions lift.

The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, has encouraged churches and individuals to continue to take precautions to protect the vulnerable from Covid-19.She was speaking as guidance was issued by the Church of England to help churches prepare for stage 4 of the Government's roadmap for the lifting of restrictions.

You can read more about the statement on the Church of England website by clicking on the picture of Bishop Sarah

Bishop Sarah, who chairs the Church of England's Recovery Group, said: “The relaxation of restrictions on Monday is only possible because of the vaccination programme which has reduced the percentage of those with Covid who become seriously ill or die.

"We are indebted to all who have developed and administered the vaccines and we encourage anyone who has not yet done so to take advantage of the protection they offer. 

“Many will welcome the possibilities now before us, not least increased numbers at life events and a long awaited return of congregational and amateur choir singing.

“However, this is a difficult point in the course of the pandemic. Despite vaccination rates, cases are up, hospital admissions are up and long covid remains an ongoing concern. Therefore our approach needs to be cautious and careful.   

“Taking personal responsibility means responsibility for our neighbour, not just for ourselves, and taking precautions to protect those more vulnerable than we consider ourselves to be. Local church leaders know their communities and their own circumstances, and we will support them making local decisions to keep themselves and their community safe. We would ask everyone to support those making local decisions and respect risk assessments, which are in place to protect everyone as we enter the next phase.“

Service Streaming This has been hugely successful with large numbers joining in worship from home.  In January we were experiencing over 800 weekly views on the website and the Facebook page.  We had the opportunity to have people contribute to our worship whose diaries would have been too full to come in person.  The work between St Mary the Virgin and Christ Church has been well received and a great example of coming together at a time of crisis.  All good things must come to an end, however.  With increased freedom many people will be thinking about whether now is the time to return to church.  This means the last streamed service will be on Sunday 18 July.  There will be scope to stream major events and services in the future.  The confirmations from Christ Church a couple of weeks ago were well received.  But for now, the streaming service is being retired.

Members of the congregation and the online community have asked that their thanks to the PCC should be made public.  They have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to give high quality access to worship via recorded and streamed services, for those unable to attend church.  This has been greatly appreciated by many.  Thank you.

Support during Coronavirus Isolation

Please continue to keep in touch with church:

The Parish Website - www.ecclestonstmaryschurch.org

Worship - online Eucharists are available through social media

Personal Contact – please request help if you require it

Prayers - Please contact Liz Green to be included.

Foundation Governors we have one further vacancy at our CE Primary School.  Contact Fr Andrew if you are interested and more information is available at the Blackburn Board of Education website (click here to direct you to their website) or specifically at the Governors' landing page on the Board of Education website.  More information about our Church of England Primary School can be found on their website by clicking on the school logo to the right.

Giving - your donations through our contactless terminal in church can now benefit from GiftAid if you are a UK taxpayer. That means for every £5 you donate, Eccleston St Mary’s PCC receives £6.25. To help us receive this extra benefit please register your Visa and MasterCard on the Swiftaid website (by clicking on the link or the image above) before you use the terminal in church. Please contact Eric Smith if you will to join the envelope scheme.  He has a number spare.  

Also please sign up to Easyfundraising (details below) as this is such a good way to earn money for church without any effort, especially now that online purchases are increasing popular since the beginning of the pandemic.

As you will have seen above you can make an online donation.  Once again, click this link to take you to the donations page.

Legacies.  Have you thought about leaving a donation to your parish church in your will.  Please speak to a Church Warden or our Treasurer about how this could be done.  We have some very useful leaflets which can explain the legal process and how you can help.  Please ask for one.

Ecclesiastical Insurance runs a scheme called Trust 130.  As an insurance company they havegiven more than £430,000 to churches in the UK as part of the Trust130 campaign and now we’re extending for another year.  There is no limit on the number of donations which can be made. We could benefit from Trust130 donations of £130, if you take out anew policy with Ecclesiastical and mention St Marys, Eccleston and Trust 130:  please contact Ecclesiastical Insurance on 0800 7830 130  You can read more about the scheme by clicking the picture on the right.

The nights are light at the moment but you can plan ahead by lighting up the church to mark a special day, or may be some retail therapy is just want you need - don't forget to buy online during lockdown using the Easy Fundraising link to benefit our parish funds.

Dates for your diary from the music department

Two summer coffee concerts are being planned by our Music Director, Joe.  There are informal musical events outside, if the weather is fine.  It's all free and without charge so please keep free Saturday afternoons 31 July and 21 August.  However, you will be able to spend some money as there will be cake and bottle stalls and tombola.  If you are able to donate any bottles please let Liz Green or Rosina Monks know.  These can be left at church or at 76  Doctors Lane (Liz Green) and 3 Larkfield (Rosina). Phone Rosina 01257 451166 for a home collection. 

There's no end to the energy and engagement of our Music Director, Joe.  He is a regular at St Faith's Parish Church in Crosby in the Liverpool Diocese where he has started a choir from scratch.  He has arranged for our choir to sing at a joint Choral Evensong on Sunday 1 August at 18:30.  It would be fantastic is as many people as possible could go along to Crosby to support the choir and Joe.  Click the red Evensong image on the left to display a poster designed for the Evensong at St Faiths.  Don't forget congregational singing will be permitted by then.

If you want to know what music Joe has put together for us each week in Eccleston, along with the hymns Sunday by Sunday please click here.

And finally from Joe, our choir is travelling to St Faiths, Crosby for Choral Evensong on Sunday 1 August. This is a wonderful opportunity to travel and showcase our musical repertoire.  As congregations can sing by then so please come along to support our choir and our Director of Music.

Book Floodlighting – it is now possible to book the floodlighting again.  Please use this form to make your request and online payment.  It only costs £10 to light up the church for one evening.  We also feature your memorial on the parish website and on our Facebook page.  Join those who have raised over £1,300 for church funds as they remember an important event or person when they have 'Lit up the Church'.

Keep up with the latest news and events on Twitter!

https://twitter.com/ecclestons... select - Follow  

Keep up to date with www.ecclestonstmaryschurch.org

If you shop online, please register for Easyfundraising Cause

When you click on this link you will be able to make a small donation to our parish work each time you shop at selected retailers at no additional cost to you.  Our 62 supporters have raised £1,869.94 so for so why not join them at this time that all non essential shops are closed.  

Disability Provision

There is a hearing Loop system

Space is provided in church for wheelchair users. A wheelchair is available.                     

Disability toilet in the Parish Centre

Fire Notice   

There are two emergency exits:

Through the main door Through the Jesus Chapel (To the right of the altar) Muster by the War Memorial, await instructions