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Sunday 29 June 2014

Vicar's Letter

Vicar’s Letter  @
In July we remember our own St Thomas, whose feast day is July 3rd - Thomas the Apostle, also known as Didymus which means twin (though we know nothing of his twin. Thomas was a devoted disciple, and it’s a pity that he is primarily known as Doubting Thomas.  That title is because of the gospel    story about the resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples.

These disciples had been through a very difficult time – they had seen their leader, the man they believed to be the messiah, their saviour, crucified like – and with - common criminals. Their friend, their teacher, their leader for the past three years, the man with whom they had thrown in their lot, was dead. And they were desolated. We can only imagine their joy when they saw him alive and beside them. And they reacted with understandable excitement. Poor Thomas wasn’t with them, he hadn’t had the experience of meeting the risen Christ, and he didn’t believe them, or rather he said he needed proof before he could believe it. Thomas was a very straight forward character, no fuss or frills for him, he spoke his mind. What he   wanted was only what his friends had already had. To call him a doubter seems     unfair. And when he did see the risen Christ his response was a wholehearted      hearted “My lord and my God” No grudging response this!

There are few other mentions of Thomas in the Gospels. Worth noting though is something he said to Jesus when (at the time of the Last Supper) Jesus was telling the disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them. Jesus said “You know where I am going”. Thomas said, in his usual blunt way, “we don’t know where you are going – how can we know the way?”  And he got his answer.

Christian tradition is that Thomas went to India, indeed was the first missionary to India. Certainly there were Christian communities in India long before European   missionaries went there. Many apocryphal accounts of his travels circulated in the early church. So we can see Thomas’ time as a disciple had a profound effect on him and led him on in his ministry, and he is traditionally associated with journeys.

So Thomas, who was straightforward, who spoke his mind and asked questions when he needed to, is a good model for us in the parish of St Thomas Leesfield, as we seek to learn more about our Christian faith, and to see the way forward for each one of us.  I wonder where your journey will lead you?             

                    Edith


  

Dates for your diary

Wed July 2nd         Confirmation rehearsal at St Thomas  7pm.
Sat 5th July            Coffee morning at 52 Spring Lane 10.30am till noon.
Sun July 6th           All age services –no Sunday Schools. These will include
                               Sunday School Prizegivings.
Tues 8th July           No 10am service
Sat July 12th              Parish Trip to Southport
Sun July 13th        Confirmation at St Thomas’s 11.00am
Wed  July 16th      Deanery Eucharist at St Thomas (for wardens and parish
                               Officers) 7.30pm
Thurs 24th July    MU meeting 7.30 in church Speaker Mrs Ruth Beech.
Sun August 31st   All age services at both churches

Sat Sept 13th      Suggested date for sponsored walk around parish boundary

Sat Oct 4th          Harvest Queen crowning at St Thomas 2pm
Sun Oct 5th         Harvest Sunday
Sat Oct 18th       Hoe Down



Please let Edith know if there is anything else to go on this list!

St Thomas Leesfield Pew Sheet June 29th 2014



Confirmation service rehearsal on Wednesday (2nd July) at 7pm in St Thomas Church.  It is very important that everyone involved attends the rehearsal. There will be no confirmation classes this week.

Mothers Union  Coffee morning  Saturday July 5th at the home of Mrs A Atkinson 52 Spring Lane  10.30 till 12 noon. All welcome.

Next Sunday (July 6th) the services will be all age services and will include Sunday School Prizegivings.

Parish Trip to Southport Saturday July 12th . Leave Lees at 9.30am and leave Southport at 4.30. £12 each.  Can you please pay Audrey or Vera as soon as possible.

Sorry to moan but issues that were raised at last week’s PCC meeting – please would everyone refrain from using mobile phones to text or play games during the services, please don’t come up for communion chewing gum and could we work on making the atmosphere around communion more reverent by not chatting on the way to and from the altar.


Magazine  articles to paulmdent@gmail.com) please.  We are always looking for more contributions –have you got something you’d like to share with us?

Items for the newsletter to Edith by Wednesday eve please.

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