This week’s Worship
Sunday 27th September (4th of the month)
9:15 am Holy Communion, Croston
11:00 am Morning Prayer, Brethertron
9:30 am Family Worship, Mawdesley
Wednesday 30th September 10 am Holy Communion, Croston
Friday 2nd October. 9:00 am Morning Prayer, Mawdesley
We are still allowed to continue with Worship.
Face masks are now compulsory in church unless you are exempt
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Although Harvest is different this year it is still the time where we celebrate the beauty and diversity of creation and all that God has provided for us. But especially this year we are reminded that we also have a responsibility to care for creation and share Gods gifts fairly! We are now beginning to hear stories of the news about people stockpiling certain goods, which is reminiscent of the start of lockdown when things like soap, pasta and toilet rolls disappeared from the supermarket shelves. This is incredibly selfish behaviour surely we must have learnt during these last 6 months that the supply chains work well and there is plenty if just carry on buying as normal. This week’s Gospel reminds us all that there is more to life that material possessions and just as God has provided for us it is our responsibility to share those resources and provide for others. The sharing of our gifts, talents and resources enriches our life together and we can clearly see the benefits of that under these challenging circumstances. There are so many examples during this Covid Pandemic of people looking out for one another and helping others who are in need and that is indeed good news. May we all do our bit to share fairly and may we be generous in our support of those less fortunate than ourselves.
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
With love & prayers. Michael (Rector)
Tel: 01772 600548 mobile: 07960309005, email: revmwoods@gmail.com
Thanks to our Reader Janet Maggs and Revd David Reynolds for covering our services whilst the Rector has been having some time off, it is much appreciated.
Resources – Harvest Sunday (16th after Trinity)
1) The 3 bible readings set for this week.
2) The Prayer and worship at home sheet for the 16th after Trinity.
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Sunday 4th October – 17th Sunday after Trinity (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.
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Church opening times on Wednesdays & Sundays
Bretherton 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
As there is worship in all our churches this weekend we will be joining the people of St Stephen’s Preston, worship will be led by the Revd Dave Hanson. 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’s service is led by Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley who will celebrate a Harvest Festival service. This online service includes reflections on climate change, farming and the beauty of nature.
Follow along with the order of service at https://cofe.io/HarvestOOSfrom 9am on Sunday.
https://www.facebook.com/thechurchofengland or
https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online
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:
Harvest donations to support the Food Banks
Please if your able can you bring a donation with you to church or drop it in later whenever the churches are open.
This week they are especially short of:
Small soap powder ( tablets are ideal), Washing up liquid, Toothpaste, shower gel and toiletries, Razor & shaving gel, Toilet rolls, Kitchen rolls, Cereals, Sugar, Long life Milk, Long life puddings ….and of course anything else you would normally need to feed your families. Small easy to prepare items are ideal. 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
Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season: grant that we may use them to your glory, for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being; 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. Amen
First Reading
God provides so generously for his people but they are warned not to forget Gods generosity and exalt themselves!
Deuteronomy 8.7-18
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you.
Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.
Second Reading
Gods people are to be generous with everyone just as God is generous to us.
2 Corinthians 9.6-15
The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written, ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever.’ He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
The Gospel
There is more to life that material possessions, God has provided for us so we must provide for others.
Luke 12.16-30
Jesus told the people a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable are you than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.”
Prayer after Communion
Lord of the harvest, with joy we have offered thanksgiving for your love in creation and have shared in the bread and wine of the kingdom: by your grace plant within us a reverence for all that you give us and make us generous and wise stewards of the good things we enjoy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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