St. Paul’s Church, Chippenham

THE GOSPEL OF MARK - I am not quite sure why us but … we were contacted and offered the opportunity to host a ‘performance’ of Mark’s Gospel by the Rev Joseph Morris – an American who is travelling in the UK and it looks great! Come along to St Paul’s at 6.30pm on Sunday 6th April and experience Mark’s account of Jesus in a new light. I feel we are very privileged to be hosting this! (It’s free – proceeds from a retiring offering will go to Joseph.)  For more information see Mark’s Gospel Live.

FASCINATING SPEAKERS - and I have had such a good time through Lent and have been greatly stimulated by hearing a number of excellent and challenging speakers. It has been great to hear Nick Pollard (Damaris Trust), Bishop Lee, Chris Neal (Church Mission Society), Bishop Mike and Dave Bookless (Arocha) and I have reflected that they would have made quite a speaker list for any Christian Conference – in fact they are all Lee Abbey, New Wine and Spring Harvest speakers! Aren’t we privileged … that they came to a venue near us!

TEAM VICAR APPOINTMENT - please keep this process in your prayers. I have had a number of people make contact about it but …we need actual applications and hopefully some candidates to interview on 22/23 April! (The expectation is that there will be a short-listing on 31st March.)

THE LEADERSHIP @ ST PAUL’S - we recently held a meeting at St Pauls to introduce some ideas about how we hope to run the church in the near future. The headlines are that we look to have a PCC that acts as Trustees (meeting say 4/5 times a year) with an important role played by the Chair and Churchwardens. Also, we are looking to have co-ordinators/leaders/elders/facilitators (or whatever we call them!) for 6 areas of church life: Resources & Property; Worship & Discipleship; Outreach; Caring For Ourselves; Youth & Children; Out Of Parish. (If you have any ideas of who would be suitable please talk to me or Karin Needham about this.)

DATES FOR OUR ANNUAL MEETINGS - all are welcome and they take place in church

• Thursday 17th April 7.30pm - Hardenhuish
• Sunday 20th April 11.00am - Langley Burrell
• Monday 21st April 7.30pm - Kington St Michael
• Wednesday 23rd April 7.30pm - St Paul’s

THE USE (OR OTHERWISE) OF E-MAILS! - I can find myself reeling from too many emails and have reflected that they are good (for sending factual information) but are hopeless for engaging people in real discussion. So often I feel that phone calls – or better still face to face conversations – are a much better way of relating one to another. And, of course, the more emails I get the more time I spend at my desk (rather than out and about!) I see that I had 650 in or out emails last month – and I am left wondering if this is the best way for the church’s ministry!

GOING DEEPER - I want to commend this idea of Going Deeper into our sermon series on HOW TO BE CHURCH (looking at 1 Corinthians 11-14). We are holding open evenings of talk and study which should give the opportunity to really get to grips with Scripture. Details will follow but this should start on 30th April.

BAPTISM PREPARATION - takes place at St Paul’s church on Sunday 13th April at 3pm.

OPEN TO GOD - is on Sunday 20th April at 7pm in St Paul’s hall. Come & worship!

IONA HOLY COMMUNION - Sunday 27th April at 6.30pm in St Paul’s – something slightly different!

CONFIRMATION - I am delighted that we are hosting a Confirmation Service with Bishop Lee on Sunday 8th June at 10.00am at St Paul’s church. I have booked these dates in my diary for preparation – Tuesdays 29/4 and 6/5 and Thursdays 15/5 and 22/5 – these will be at 7pm (for about an hour) at my home, 9 Greenway Park. (We will also hope to have a post-Confirmation session a couple of weeks after the Confirmation itself.)

THE VILLAGE HALL ON SUNDAY - takes place on Sunday 20th April from 9.30am in Kington St Michael Village Hall and promises to be (as the previous ones) well-worth coming along to. It is a lovely way to engage with God and each other – to find a different way of worshipping and growing together!

LEE ABBEY 2008 - a date for your diary …..we are having our next Lee Abbey weekend 10-12 October 2008. We are very fortunate that our speaker will be the Rev Paul Bayes who is the National Mission & Evangelism Adviser for the Church of England. It should be very good indeed!

BISHOP OF BOLTON - one person who won’t be there to welcome us to Lee Abbey is the warden Chris Edmondson as he is to become the new Bishop of Bolton in the diocese of Manchester. Many congratulations to Chris and Susan as they start this new phase of their ministry!

HOME GROUPS - if you are interested in joining one in Langley Burrell please talk to Veronica Kilmister – for Hardenhuish talk to Barbara Wood – for Kington St Michael talk to John Woodward - and for St Paul’s please contact Helen Pattison.

THEMES & READINGS - we are starting a series in 1 Corinthians HOW TO BE CHURCH. These will be the main Bible readings:

• April 6 - The Lord’s Supper - 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
• April 13 - Spiritual Gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
• April 20 - The Body Of Christ - 1 Corinthians 12:12-26
• April 27 - Gifts In The Church - 1 Corinthians 12:27-31

MIDWEEK BIBLE READINGS - at our midweek services of Holy Communion (10am on Wednesdays at St Pauls – and 10am Thursdays at Kington St Michael) we are continuing a series FROM THE BEGINNING (Genesis 1-11)

• April 2/3 - Cain & Abel - Genesis 4:1-26
• April 9/10 - Noah - Genesis 6:1-22
• April 16/17 - The Flood I - Genesis 7:1-24
• April 23/24 - The Flood II - Genesis 8:1-22
• April 30/May 1 - Ascension Day - Acts 1:1-11

PRAYER FOR THE MONTH – is what’s known as a Canticle… why not use it in your own devotions?

EASTER ANTHEMS
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us:
So let us celebrate the feast,
Not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness:
But with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Christ once raised from the dead dies no more:
Death has no more dominion over him.
In dying he died to sin once for all:
In living he lives to God.
See yourselves therefore as dead to sin:
And alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ has been raised from the dead:
The first fruits of those who sleep.
For as by man came death:
By man has come also the resurrection of the dead;
For as in Adam all die:
Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Simon Tyndall