Dear all
We are now quite a number of weeks into the lockdown and for many the psychological pressures are becoming difficult as well as the financial pressures.
Please be assured of my prayers. I have posted below the Unity Update for May which has a whole page dedicated to websites which can provide spiritual and practical help at this time.
Also please do not hesitate to contact me direct if you think I can be of help in any way.
My email address is tillotsons@gmail.com and my phone number is 01227 272308.
Thank you to all of you who have been following the online worship which we have been running at All Saints and St Peter's Whitstable over recent weeks.
If you wish to watch the Sunday service this coming Sunday I have embedded the video into this newsletter so you simply click below at 11am on Sunday or after then if you are busy at 11am as it will be available afterwards too.
It features prayers and readings led by Sophia and Emily from our children's groups, Pat and Aubrey Holland from our church congregation, and also features a special musical item on violin played by Amy and Hannah Parry and on guitar by David Parry.
The theme of the sermon which is preached by myself is about Jesus the Good Shepherd. Please come back and watch it with the others from the congregation at 11am on Sunday or afterwards if you prefer.
Next week our speaker at our online 11am service will be Elena Markova, our Children and Families Minister, who has been working hard to provide online activities and craft for our various children's groups. I have asked her to talk about what has been happening as well as give a reflection on the readings for that Sunday.
Here is a wonderful video which she and Jo Springthorpe put together this week:
I am very grateful for the following which was sent to me yesterday. I do hope you find it a helpful reflection that helps us see some of this terrible time in a positive light:
And People Stayed Home
by Kathleen O'Meara
written in 1869
And people stayed home
And read books and listened
And rested and exercised
And made art and played
And learned new ways of being
And stopped
And listened deeper
Someone meditated
Someone danced
Someone met their shadow
And people began to think differently
And people healed
And in the absence of people who live in ignorant ways,
Dangerous, meaningless and heartless,
Even the earth began to heal,
And when the danger ended,
And people found each other,
Grieved for the dead people,
And they made new choices,
And dreamed of new visions,
And created new ways of life,
And healed the earth completely,
Just as they were healed themselves
1869 was the year of a cholera outbreak which started in Bengal but spread throughout Europe, North America, Russia and Northern Africa and people stayed indoors
With so few events happening at the moment this month's newsletter is quite short but here is Unity Update. I will cut and paste the actual links onto this post below Unity Update so you can explore the links direct from this post.
It also has information about our Online Team Ascension Day service:
It also has information about our Online Team Ascension Day service:
LIVE LINKS
Red
Zebra
Immense
credit must go to all those within the wider Whitstable community, including
those from our churches who have helped, in creating a network of support for
those struggling at this critical time. Do ensure everyone you know who is
vulnerable are aware of the resources available. The best website to find out
what is available is
Other
sites
Canterbury
City Council have also recently published a really helpful resource too which
is highly recommended as a way of supporting local businesses
The Canterbury Diocese
has very helpful information regarding to how churches should respond to the
present crisis. It is also possible to subscribe to a weekly newsletter as well
as follow the Calendar of Intercessions https://www.canterburydiocese.org
From the Church of England website
https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/light-candle
https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/light-candle
ALSO RECOMMENDED
Lectio
365(developed by the 24-7 Prayer initiative and CWR https://www.24-7prayer.com/dailydevotional
Pray as
you Go by Jesuit Media Initiatives (UK and overseas) https://pray-as-you-go.org/
www.whitstableteamonline.org
Also if you missed it, you can watch Karen Washington speaking about her experience of working on an ITU unit at this link at about 7 minutes into the feed
https://youtu.be/SZ7TZ6oQkoQ
Also please do not forget to visit our All Saints Voices page on our website which has contributions from quite a number of All Saints members, Readers and retired clergy
For a direct link to that page please visit here
http://www.allsaintswhitstable.com/2020/03/spiritual-voices.html
May God bless you in this month of May.
Best wishes
Simon
