This week’s Worship
Sunday 1st Nov. – All Saints / All Souls (1st of the Month)
8:00 am BCP Holy Communion, Mawdesley
9:00 am Family Worship, Bretherton
9:15 am Holy Communion, Croston
11:00 am Holy Communion, Mawdesley.
Wednesday 10:00 am Holy Communion, Croston
Friday 9:00 am Morning Prayer, Mawdesley
Face masks are now compulsory in church unless you are exempt
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thank you to everyone who supported our Annual Church meetings during this last week, across our 3 parishes we give thanks for those who have joined us on our Parochial Church Councils.
We have for the first time in a few years been successful in filling all our vacancies for those to serve as Churchwardens.
Croston: Hilary Lloyd and Juliet Taylor
Bretherton: Christine Cupit and Naoimi Mangnall
Mawdesley w Bispham: John Radford and David Rawcliffe
We will formally admit them to office at one of our Sunday services hopefully in the near future in their home Church.
Today we enter the Kingdom season which is predominantly a season of Remembrance which begins with All Saints’ Day, where we celebrate the family of God, past, present and future. It is a day when we remember the vast family we are part of and of course we can all remember the famous ones but there are those who were never even noticed. That is the joy of today – we know we are included in God’s family. In today’s Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus sets out the characteristics of this family, which are a mixture of beautiful and painful things which is the harsh reality of human life – poverty, hunger, pain and sadness. They also contain the promise of comfort, fulfilment and riches beyond measure. And they contain descriptions of purity and mercy and humility. They are not passive descriptions, but very active ones. They speak of the hard work of peace-making, the reconciliation that is at the very heart of the Gospel. This is work that all Christians are called to be part of, and that includes us, we are to be a blessing to the world. Blessing is about being filled with God and it gives the strength we need to keep on going when things are so hard. It gives the simple joy that comes from knowing that God is with us, whatever may be happening in our lives.
So as we begin this Kingdom season we celebrate saints who are famous and saints no one has ever heard of. We celebrate that, through the grace and love of God, we too are part of this family.
Wishing you all every blessing at this challenging time.
With love & prayers. Michael (Rector)
Tel: 01772 600548 mobile: 07960309005, email: revmwoods@gmail.com
Resources – All Saints day
1) The 3 bible readings set for this week.
2) The Prayer and worship at home sheet for the All Saints.
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Sunday 8th November – Remembrance Sunday (2nd of the Month)
9:15 am Family remembrance, Croston
10:30 am Family Remembrance, Bretherton
10:45 am Family remembrance, Mawdesley. *************************************
All Souls day Monday 2nd November
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXC7P9kQ3xEk_kKf5JZE-A
This year we will post a service online on the evening of Monday 2nd November at 7 pm and during the service we will read out the names of those who people wish to be remembered, it is a time for quiet reflection and peace.
If you would like someone to be remembered please add the names to the lists in the churches or contact Revd Michael Woods, (Tel: 01772 600548)
e-mail revmwoods@gmail.com)
Church opening times on Wednesdays & Sundays
Bretherton (Sunday only) 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Croston 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Mawdesley open via the side door most days
Coronavirus Village support groups
Croston COVID-19 Croston Village Support Group
Mawdesley Mawdesley – Coronavirus help each other out.
Bretherton Via Bretherton WI (01772 601495)
email bethertoonwi@btinternett.com
Facebook Pages
There is worship in all our churches this weekend and online there is also the Diocesan worship with Archdeacon David Picken who will be preaching at the latest multi-lingual service which is led by the Revd Sarah Gill. It can be found on the Diocesan YouTube Site from 9am on Sunday:
https://www.youtube.com/user/blackburndiocese/videos
In addition there will be worship from Blackburn Cathedral, also from 9am on Sunday on their YouTube channel.
Our facebook pages are:
https://www.facebook.com/St-John-the-Baptist-Church-Bretherton-439088266487676/
https://www.facebook.com/StMichaelAllAngelsChurchCroston/
https://www.facebook.com/St-Peters-Mawdesley-w-Bispham-442669382795886/?ref=bookmarks
The Church of England posts on Facebook and YouTube a national service of worship every Sunday at 9 am. This week the Bishop of London, Rt Rev Dame Sarah Mullally, leads this special service of thanksgiving, hope, and remembrance from St Paul’s Cathedral.
Follow along with the order of service from cofe.io/SaintsService.
https://www.facebook.com/thechurchofengland or
https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online
As always please do remember:
- Do not come to church if you are feeling unwell or have experienced any COVID-19 symptoms in the past seven days
- Limit contact with other people
- Keep your distance from people not in your household
- (2m apart where possible or 1m + when wearing a mask)
- Wash your hands regularly
- Work from home if possible
Church Attendance records for school applications
The cards for the Autumn term, starting 6th September are now available in each church, please return your last record for the Spring term. If you want to register please complete a form and take a copy of the guidance notes which are available at Church.
This resource may be helpful for those who are unable to return to church services at the moment, or for anyone who is feeling isolated or lonely and who doesn’t have access to the internet.
There are also the daily prayer resources on the Church of England Website where you can download apps at:
Please continue to support the Food Banks
All the food brought into the3Chuches is taken to the ecumenical food bank in Skemersdale, supported by the Trussell Trust.
Our congregations are smaller, but still so many people have made the effort to support the important work of the food banks. MANY THANKS.
Sadly, this will soon be distributed – so please keep donating whatever, whenever you can – things look like getting worse in the next few weeks…
In Croston Please leave your donations at either 19, Highfield Rd or 32, Westhead Rd, or bring to church.
In Bretherton – The box will remain at the gate, 154 South Road.
Thank you to everyone for your support to date!
In Mawdesley – please bring to church
Thank you to everyone who has been supporting our local food banks and all the other good causes at this time.
Could you make a donation to support Church?
All our churches rely upon the generous donations of our parishioners to provide the financial support that both maintain our buildings and provide care and support to all those in the local community. Although some use standing orders or other methods of online giving, many donors use cash, either on the plate or in weekly planned giving envelopes.
Even though we can now meet again for public worship we cannot hand a plate round for our usual collections, so we just leave a plate at the back of Church.
Donations or regular giving can be made by using ‘Online banking’ facilities, the bank details you will require to do this are given below for each church:
Bretherton – St. John the Baptist
St. Johns Bretherton PCC Account, No: 10031333, Sort code: 16 17 41
Croston – St. Michael & All Angels
St. Michaels PCC Account, No. 11215462, Sort Code 16-17-41
Also if you have no facility to pay electronically, envelopes can be dropped off with our Treasurer Derek Alty, 12 Lostock Road, Croston.
Mawdesley w Bispham St. Peter
Mawdesley PCC Account, No 87032805, Sort code 60 24 02.
If you decide to make a donation electronically you may be given the opportunity to set up a standing order, which will be far easier for us ensuring that we will have a more regular income.
The Collect
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those inexpressible joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen
First Reading
A vision of heavenly worship, where all the tribulations and suffering of the world are over. Everything and everyone is in its rightful place, gathered around the throne of God.
Revelation 7.9-17
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’
And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’
Second Reading
These words affirm the truth that we celebrate in this season of All Saints – that simply because of God’s love, we too are children of God.
1 John 3.1-3
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
The Gospel
This is the first time that Jesus teaches in Matthew’s Gospel. We call it the Sermon on the Mount. It contains blessings and warnings, and shows us a way to live.
Matthew 5.1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Prayer after Communion
God, the source of all holiness and giver of all good things: may we who have shared at this table as strangers and pilgrims here on earth be welcomed with all your saints to the heavenly feast on the day of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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