This week’s Worship
Sunday 18th October – St. Luke (3rd of the Month)
9:15 am Holy Communion, Croston
11:00 am Holy Communion, Bretherton
11:00 am Holy Communion, Mawdesley
Wednesday 10 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,
As our hospitals in the Northwest begin to approach capacity and the increase in daily confirmed cases of coronavirus shows no signs of reducing we are now as expected in Tier 3, the highest, of the Covid Alert system with the strictest level of controls to adhere to. This isn’t what anyone wanted but we must all play our part in the battle to defeat this virus – whatever we may think of the politics currently at play. It is for all our benefit that we are being asked to adhere to these guidelines. Once again in the last few days we have seen the awful scenes of some people in some of our major cities rebelling against the closing of bars. We must however remember that these people are in a minority and the overwhelming majority of students and young people are being sensible and striving to adhere to the restrictions. All this is for our own good and the good of our families and friends and to try and hold back this second wave to protect the NHS. We may think it won’t happen to us, but that isn’t guaranteed and when we are unwell we need the support of others and so often we are thankful for the caring profession but people also call upon God praying that we will be strengthened in our time of weakness. We cannot do everything by ourselves we need the support of others and especially at times of crisis like this, we all have a part to play in helping others see that God is with them also, they will never be alone. We have a calling to be with our neighbours, to share our stories, to listen and to help one another see how God’s kingdom draws nearer.
St Luke has left us not only his Gospel but the Acts of the Apostles and both of these have helped so many disciples over the centuries.
Luke shows in his Gospel a particular concern for the poor, and for victims of injustice, for repentant sinners who are welcomed by the forgiveness and the mercy of God. St Luke reminds us all of the strength and hope that God gives in our times of need and I suspect we all need reminding of that at the moment.
Please pray for the families of the recently departed souls of:
Richard English,
Beryl Williams,
Herbert Archibald Hughes,
Martin Bentham
May they all be at rest and peace in the nearer presence of God in his heavenly Kingdom and may God hold their families and friends in his loving arms at this time of great sadness.
With love & prayers. Michael (Rector)
Tel: 01772 600548 mobile: 07960309005, email: revmwoods@gmail.com
Resources – 19th Sunday after Trinity
1) The 3 bible readings set for this week.
2) The Prayer and worship at home sheet for the 18th after Trinity.
*************************************
Sunday 25th October – Bible Sunday (4th of the Month)
9:15 am Holy Communion, Croston
11:00 am Worship & APCM, Bretherton
9:30 am Family Worship, Mawdesley
*************************************
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
There is worship in all our churches this weekend and online there is also the Diocesan worship which this week is also the Church of England worship as well. It will celebrate the Feast of St Luke and the cross-cultural service will be led by Rev Sarah Gill, featuring contributions from the Rt Rev Dr Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster, and the Rt Rev Julian Henderson, Bishop of Blackburn.
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 it is our Diocesan worship.
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 and between us we donated 240kg of food (& toiletries).
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.
APCM (Annual Parochial Church Meetings)
We must hold our election of Churchwardens and APCM’s before the end of October and they will take place on the following dates:
Bretherton – Sunday 25th October after a short act of worship rather than the normal Sunday service.
Mawdesley – Tuesday 27th October 7pm
Croston – Wednesday 28th October 7 pm
The meetings at Mawdesley and Croston will either be in Church or via a Zoom meeting final arrangements to be confirmed next week.
At these meetings we elect our Churchwardens and fill any vacancies on the PCC (Parochial Church Council) and discuss general business in the Parishes. They were postponed earlier in the year due to the Coronavirus.
The Collect
Almighty God, you called Luke the physician, whose praise is in the gospel, to be an evangelist and physician of the soul: by the grace of the Spirit and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel, give your Church the same love and power to heal; 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
These are words of comfort and encouragement to those who feel weary and weak. They also promise healing and restoration.
Isaiah 35:3-6
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
Second Reading
These are some very personal words from Paul as he recognises that the end of his earthly life is near. He feels his life has been well lived and is confident of God’s mercy.
2 Timothy 4:5-17
As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Do your best to come to me soon, for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his deeds. You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.
At my first defence no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.
The Gospel
Soon after he begins his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus sends seventy people ahead of him into all the places he will stay along the way.
Luke 10:1-9
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.
He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
Prayer after Communion
Almighty God, who on the day of Pentecost sent your Holy Spirit to the apostles with the wind from heaven and in tongues of flame, filling them with joy and boldness to preach the gospel: by the power of the same Spirit strengthen us to witness to your truth and to draw everyone to the fire of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Write a comment: