Dearest friends,
A couple of weeks ago I was ensconced in Bath doing battle with the various Faculties both churches require. We were lucky enough to be invited to stay with some of Edmund’s friends who were joining him on a rowing week.
They’re a wonderful Christian family and one evening over dinner one of the boys passed a rather judgemental comment about one of the other lads on the rowing course.
Quick as a flash his Dad said, ‘we do curiosity in this house, not judgment’.
It hit me right between the eyes. For years I’ve done battle with the difficulty of judgment and forgiveness. I’ve told you the story of the chap I couldn’t stand in college and how my Spiritual Director turned that from hatred to friendship with the simple wisdom, ‘pray for him dear boy, pray for him’.
The simple guidance from a dear friend in Bath to explore, be curious, when you leap to judgment is just as powerful.
Next time you find yourself judging a brother or sister, ‘oh why on earth do they do that?’, or ‘they’re always doing this rather than that’, or ‘what a stupid thing to do!’. Try instead to ask; ‘why did they do that?’, ‘why do they behave that way?’ and before you know it you’ll discover an empathy you didn’t know was there.
When we ask God for patience He doesn’t send us patience, He sends us opportunities to learn it. When we ask God to be less judgmental He sends us people to be curious about.
Try it and see what happens.
Fr. Matthew
Notices
St. Luke’s Family Fun Day
This Saturday! 2pm-5pm
Join us at St. Luke’s for a wonderful old fashioned church fete and family fun day. We’re planning a very quiet and very simple affair. Come and play at the coconut shy, buy an ice cream and burger, or chance your arm at splat the rat! or hook a duck. The stocks will even be out… If you’re able to help set up or take down please do come along an hour early or stay a little at the end. Volunteers needed to hand out flyers to people who come.
Vicarage BBQ
Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a lovely afternoon. It was terrific to spend time together, have a natter, and share a hot dog or two!
Service Times
From Sunday 7th September service times will move to 9am and St. John’s and 11:15am at St. Luke’s. I continue to work on a solution that would allow both churches to return to a 10am mass.Thank you for your support in making this work.
Explorers Planning Meeting
In September we’re planning on holding our first ‘Explorers’ service at St. Catherine’s School in Heathfield. This is vital to the future of St. John’s as it will be our primary path to talking and walking with families across the area. It’ll be a place for us to try new ideas and get things wrong, a place to play and a place to learn. We need as much wisdom and prayer as possible and that’s where you come in. Can you help be part of a dedicated group who will meet each month to pray for Explorers? This will be a virtual prayer group on WhatsApp. Can you come and help set up tables or move things around? Can you come to the planning meeting and offer your thoughts or encouragement. Whatever it is you have to offer, please consider coming to the planning meeting on Thursday 21st at 6pm in Wickham Hall.
Sunday 17th August
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time 🟢
9:15am – Sung Parish Mass [SJ]
11am – Sung Parish Mass [SL]
6pm – Evensong [SJ]
Divine Office Psalter Week 4, C(I), Trinity 9, Proper 15
Upcoming Dates
August
14th – Summer BBQ Planning Meeting, 6pm [SJ]
16th – Summer Family Fun Day [SL]
17th – Evensong, 6pm [SJ]
21st – Explorers Planning Meeting, 6pm [SJ]
31st – Joint Mass, 10am [SJ]
Summer BBQ, 1pm – 5pm [SJ]
Evensong, West Ogwell Church (TQ12 6EW), 5:30pm
September
25th – Autumn / Christmas Planning Meeting, 7pm, [WH]
No Ladies Group in August
No midweek mass during August instead, Coffee & Natter, Tuesday’s [SJ] & Wednesday’s [SL] 10am
St. Luke’s Men’s Group meets every Friday for mass at 10am anddiscussion afterwards. [SL]