This week’s Online Worship
Sunday 8th November – Remembrance Sunday
(2nd of the Month)
9:00 am Diocesan Worship
from Lancaster Priory
10:00 am the3churches Family Remembrance
Monday, Wednesday & Friday evenings
7:00 pm Short evening reflection and night prayer
Our 3 churches are now closed for Public Worship but open
on Sundays and Wednesday’s for private prayer
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
Well here we are once again in ‘lockdown’ version 2 let’s just hope it has the desired effect in bringing down the transmission of this persistent virus. Collectively we must all now get once again used to the familiar challenge to Stay at home, protect the NHS and Save lives, which is a challenge for all of us. If we think this is a challenge it’s probably minor compared to the challenge faced by those who lived through 2 world wars! Even though it must have been so difficult at the time, people did come through it, they did pull together and support one another and life did get better once again. But I suspect it wasn’t the same and it won’t be the same when we do come through this worldwide pandemic – as we surely will, so hold firm.
Life for many will chaotic, normal routines have been ripped up and the nights are drawing in which makes it even tougher for those who live alone. It is so important for us to look out for one another, keep an eye on our neighbours, and if you’re feeling anxious do not be afraid to reach out and ask for help. All too often people just don’t want to bother anyone, and conversely people don’t want to interfere, well I would say pluck up the courage to bother and interfere and if you do I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised. We can all be agents of God’s love in the midst of these very challenging times, we can all in our own individual way be a light to others in the darkness of this pandemic. Also don’t forget our village support groups are there to help – they haven’t packed up and gone home – you will find their details within this bulletin.
Being the church during this pandemic is not easy, we too are as vulnerable as anyone else. But we are still the church, we are still God’s people called to love him and to love our neighbour, we still have good news to proclaim. That news is that Jesus is still Lord, and Gods love is there for all, and God wants to use us to be agents of that love.
May God grant to the living, grace, to the departed, rest,
to the Church, the Queen, the Commonwealth and all people,
unity, peace and concord, and to us and all God’s servants,
life everlasting.
And may the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with us all now, and forever. AMEN
With love & prayers. Michael (Rector)
Tel: 01772 600548 mobile: 07960309005, email: revmwoods@gmail.com
Resources – Remembrance Sunday
1) The 3 bible readings set for this week.
2) The Prayer and worship at home sheet for the All Saints.
Marking Remembrance Sunday 2020 during Covid-19 Restrictions
Remembrance Sunday is a key date in the national calendar and in our villages however this year due to the current situation regarding the Covid-19 Pandemic we cannot follow our normal routines of large public gatherings and parades to the war memorials. Our worship in Church has now also been cancelled, but please do follow our online service and those provided by the diocese and national church. We want to encourage you to pay your respects at home, by observing the national two-minute silence, following the events on TV and social media and displaying a poppy poster in their windows.
If you do visit the war memorial to lay a wreath, place a cross or for private prayer at some point during the day, please be patient and respectful waiting if necessary to maintain social distancing and avoid a large gathering there.
This is in order to protect the health and wellbeing of all residents.
I would also encourage people to make donations online to support the ongoing work of the Royal British Legion.
https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/ways-to-give/donate
Some may wish to visit the war memorial to lay a wreath, place a cross or for private prayer at some point during the day, please be patient and respectful waiting if necessary to maintain social distancing and avoid a large gathering there. This is in order to protect the health and wellbeing of all residents in our village communities.
I would also encourage people to make donations online to support the ongoing work of the Royal British Legion.
https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/ways-to-give/donate
Church opening times on Wednesdays & Sundays
Bretherton 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Croston 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Mawdesley 10:30 am – 4:30 pm
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 no public worship in any of our churches this weekend and online this week’s Diocesan worship comes from Lancaster Priory the Remembrance Sunday service is led by Rev. Chris Newlands and was filmed before lockdown.
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 Remembrance Sunday service comes from The Royal Military Chapel – The Guards’ Chapel and it will be led by Rev John Vincent CF, the service honours those who gave their lives for the peace of our nation. Follow along with the order of service at cofe.io/RemembranceService.
https://www.facebook.com/thechurchofengland or
https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online
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 do 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.
As our Churches once again close this will affect us greatly at what is traditionally a busy couple of months in the build up to Christmas.
Any donations you could make will be greatly received and one off 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 greatly help support our regular income.
The Collect
Almighty Father, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of all: govern the hearts and minds of those in authority, and bring the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin, to be subject to his just and gentle rule; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
First Reading
Some beautiful, poetic words about the pursuit of wisdom. They assure us that if we truly desire to find wisdom, then we will.
Wisdom of Solomon 6.12-16
Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate. To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding, and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought.
Second Reading
Some words of encouragement for all those who feel anxious about what happens after death. Paul explains that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the firm basis of our hope that we too shall live with God for ever.
1 Thessalonians 4.13-18
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Gospel
A story about the five foolish and five wise bridesmaids. It is a story about choices and their consequences, and challenges us to examine how we live.
Matthew 25.1-13
Jesus spoke this parable to the disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.
Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.’
Prayer after Communion
God of peace, whose Son Jesus Christ proclaimed the kingdom and restored the broken to wholeness of life: look with compassion on the anguish of the world, and by your healing power make whole both people and nations; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
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