Dear Church Friends,
How is everyone this week? July 1st heralds the second half of the year. I’m sure we all hope and pray that the effectiveness of the vaccines is going to improve the covid situation and life will become more normal after 19th July.
Rev Janet Calderley will be inducted in the Lancashire West Partnership on Sunday, having been required to wait nearly 16 months since the original date. Unfortunately, the service has had to be scaled down with fewer people able to attend than originally hoped, but I ask you to pray for Janet as she takes this step in her Ministry. We look forward to seeing her on 15th August when she will be leading worship in our church.
Some of you may have known Revd Glyn Eatock who passed away on 27th June 2021. He served at Bispham URC from 1972 to 1990 and Leyland URC from 1990 to 1999, following which he retired to Lytham St Annes. Please remember his wife, Mary and his daughters in your prayers.
Often when we are out walking, we hear the delightful song of a bird nearby. Sometimes we can see and identify the singer but often the bird is hidden in the thick foliage. We don’t, however, need to see the source of our blessings to appreciate and enjoy them. At this time of year, some people find the early morning ‘dawn chorus’ irritating when it prevents them getting back to sleep, but I find the opposite as it seems to comfort and relax me, knowing that the birds are welcoming the day ‘ that the Lord has made.’ At last, I have seen some baby birds being fed in the garden. Blackbirds as large as the adults, small shy dunnocks and chirpy robins have been visiting with their parents this week. It was a joy to see them.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta had her own understanding of joy. She described it as prayer, love, a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart, she said, is the inevitable result of a heart aflame with love. May you have joy within you, today and every day.
At cool of day, with God I’ll walk
My garden’s grateful shade;
I hear his voice among the trees
And I am not afraid. Anon.
Our Worship on Sunday 4th July at 10.45am will be led by Val Atkinson and will include Communion. If possible, please bring your own individual portion of bread and wine (squash or water) for communion services. There will be some individual prepacked cups with wafers available for anyone who forgets.
Please book before 6pm on Saturday 3rd July.
Our Worship on Sunday 11th July at 10.45am will be led by Rev Jim Williams
Please book before 6pm on Saturday 10th July.
Induction of Rev Janet Calderley Sunday 4th July 2021 at 3pm at Fleetwood United Reformed Church, Fleetwood, Agnew Road, FY7 7BJ
To join in with the induction service within the comfort of your homes, please click on the Live Streaming link: https://youtu.be/JWUNd4g5cOs Please remember Janet in your prayers this week.
You are invited to Afternoon Tea at Jim’s Manse , 5 Elm Close ,Poulton-Le-Fylde. FY6 8FU
Monday 2nd August 2pm-5pm
No need to book – just turn up If the weather lets us down then please make your way to Elswick Church where we will have a roof over our heads!
A thought from the 2017 Friendship Book
Prayer can be a difficult subject to tackle. Do we pray to God to change our situation when we believe Him to be in control of our situation? Do we pray for things or further blessing while believing that ‘the Lord will provide?’.
There’s a story of a father who hears his little daughter repeating the alphabet as best she can. But he notices she has her eyes closed. He asks her what she is doing and she opens one eye to look at him.
“I’m praying, Daddy,” she whispers. “It sounded an awful lot like your letters,” he said.
“Mummy says letter make up all the words,” his daughter explained, “ and sometimes when I pray to God I don’t know what I want to say, so I give Him all the letters and let Him turn them into the right words.”
There is great truth in this. Even as adults it can be difficult to find the right words, so perhaps we ought to borrow that little girl’s faith and hand it all over to God.
Maybe the only prayer we need is trust.
Let us pray
Dear Lord Jesus,
We offer our prayers for Janet as she is inducted as a Minister in the West Partnership. Thank you, Lord for calling her to our area. Thank you for the talents, skills and experience she brings to the Partnership. Bless her ministry with vision and encouragement. Fill her with your Holy Spirit and pour Your love and blessings on her. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen
Please join me in saying the Grace together.
May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now and evermore. Amen
God Bless you all
Ruth
